(1.) Rule, returnable forthwith. Respondent nos. 1 to 7 waive service. By consent the Petition is taken up for hearing and final disposal.
(2.) This is one of those exceptional, and exceptionally unfortunate, that bring to the fore the problems faced by persons from the very communities sought to be protected by reservations or affirmative action policies when confronted with the inflexibility of educational admissions processes.
(3.) The Petitioner, Punam Zore ("Punam") belongs to the Dhangar Community. This is recognised as an Other Backward Class by the Ministry of Welfare's Resolutions dated 10th September 1993 and 6th December 1996, and Resolutions of 27th October 1999 and 6th December 1999 of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment of the Government of India. There has been a long-pending demand by members of the Dhangar Community for a declaration that the community is in fact a Scheduled Tribe: Dhangars are fundamentally nomads who live on the outskirts of settlements. They are cattle herders. Other communities with greater advantages have over the years been included as recognised "Other Backward Classes". The result is, the petition says, that the Dhangars have become marginalised even in the marginalised OBC Category. Within that categorisation as OBC, Dhangars now face fierce competition from other communities and classes in the annual scramble for educational admissions.