HC recommends caste scrutiny panels at district levels

The Bombay High Court recently recommended the setting up of caste scrutiny committees at district levels in place of the regional committees, which have been overburdened leading to huge pendency, reports HT Correspondent.

The Bombay High Court recently recommended the setting up of caste scrutiny committees at district levels in place of the regional committees, which have been overburdened leading to huge pendency.

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If the recommendation materialises, it will give relief to people seeking benefits of reservations under various categories.

A division bench of Justice P.B. Majmudar and Justice R.G. Ketkar has also directed the state to initiate disciplinary proceedings against three revenue officials who had issued caste certificates to Prithviraj Kamble, chief sanitary inspector of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation at different points of time.

Kamble had got his caste certificate saying that he belonging to a Scheduled Tribe, Mahadeo Koli, validated from Nashik Caste Scrutiny Committee in December 2003.

In May 1987, his caste claim was dismissed by Pune Caste Scrutiny Committee.

Tanaji Date, a claimant for Kamble’s post, had challenged the order.

During the hearing on Date’s petition, the high court found that all the records pertaining to Kamble at the two tehsildar offices — the sub-divisional officers’ office and Nashik Caste Scrutiny Committee’s office — had gone missing.

The high court set aside the validation of Kamble’s caste certificate after it was found that he had obtained his caste claim validated on the basis of false documents.