Ashish Madanrao Kadam v. Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee Aurangabad Through Its Member Secretary And Others
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO. 3236 OF 2020 Ashish Madanrao Kadam ..Petitioner
Versus
Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Aurangabad through its Member Secretary and ors.
..Respondents Mr S.S. Phatale, Advocate for petitioner Mr K.N. Lokhande, A.G.P. for respondents no. 1 and 2 Mr S.G. Karlekar, Advocate for respondent no.3 CORAM : S.V. GANGAPURWALA AND SHRIKANT D. KULKARNI, JJ.
DATE : 23rd October 2020 PER COURT:
1.
The caste claim of the petitioner as Thakur - Scheduled Tribe is invalidated.
2.
The learned Counsel for the petitioner submits that father of the petitioner is issued with the validity certificate of Thakur - Scheduled Tribe. According to learned Counsel, all the documents including pre-Constitutional documents in the school record of the petitioner, his father, grandfather and other paternal relatives depict caste recorded as 'Thakur'. Learned Counsel further submits that at the time of issuance of validity certificate of father, the vigilance enquiry was conducted. Affinity was held to be proved and only on the basis of statement of one Manik, respondent has negatived the claim of the petitioner.
3.
The learned A.G.P. submits that the statement of Manik is recorded and he has clearly admitted that the profession of his family is to perform
marriages and to praise the persons, which shows that the family of the petitioner is Bhat by caste. The said aspect has been considered while issuing validity certificate to the father of the petitioner. The vigilance enquiry was not conducted in the proper manner and the statement of Manik was not available. Learned A.G.P. further submits that even in the revenue record, the entry of the land being allotted to tribal as per Sections 36 and 36-A of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code is also not recorded. The Committee has threadbare considered all the aspects. The show-cause notice is sought to be issued to the father of the petitioner.
4.
The petitioner has placed on record the following documents : पवेश/नोदणी अ. क.
दसतऐवजाचेनाव दसतऐवजधारकाचेनाव अजरदाराशी जातीचीनोद ददनांक नाते १.
जातपमाणपत आशशषमदनरावकदम सवतः १४/०१/२०१९ २.
शपथपत (नमुना फ) मदनदकसनरावकदम २१/०१/२०१९ ३.
शपथपत (वैधता/ २१/०१/२०१९ वंशावळ /अशशककक) मदनदकसनरावकदम शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा आशशषमदनरावकदम सवतः ११/०६/२००७ ५.
शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा आशशषमदनरावकदम सवतः २९/०६/२०११ ६.
शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा मदनदकसनरावकदम ०१/०७/१९७७ ७.
शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा मदनदकसनरावकदम २५/०६/१९८३ ८.
शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा दकसननारायणकदम १३/०४/१९४० शालेय पवेश व दनरमउतारा आददतयमदनरावकदम भाऊ १५/०६/२०१२ १०.
सेवापुसतकाचे मदनदकसनरावकदम -- पदहलेपानाची पत
११.
जातवैधता पमाणपत जजतेददवनायककदम चुलतभाऊ ठाकूर २८/०८/२००० १२.
जातवैधता पमाणपत मदनदकसनरावकदम १९/०९/२००५ १३.
जातवैधता पमाणपत संरीतारामरावकदम चुलत आतया १९/०१/२०११ १४.
जातवैधता पमाणपत पाचीवसंतकदम चुलतबहीण ठाकूर ०७/१०/२०१० १५.
शाळा सोडलयाचे पमाणपत आशशषमदनरावकदम सवतः २९/०६/२०११ शाळा सोडलयाचे पमाणपत मदनदकसनरावकदम -- १७.
शाळा सोडलयाचे पमाणपत मदनदकसनरावकदम २५/०६/१९८३ १८.
शाळा सोडलयाचे पमाणपत पाचीवसंतरावकदम चुलतबहीण ठाकूर १४/०६/२००४ १९.
शाळा सोडलयाचे पमाणपत अदनमेषवसंतरावकदम चुलतभाऊ ठाकूर १२/०६/२००१ The Committee directed vigilance enquiry to be conducted and found the following entries :
शाळेचे नाव पवेश अ.क.
दवदारयारचे नाव अजरदार यांचेशी नाते पवेशददनांक शेरा अ.
क.
नमूद जात दकसन नारायणकदम १३/०४/१९४०-- १.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा माशणकराव नारायण चुलत ०२/०७/१९४८-- २.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा माशणकराव नारायण चुलत ठाकर १५/०४/१९५०-- ३.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा अनुसया नारायण चुलत आजी २२/०४/१९५३-- ४.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा दवनायक दरडूबा चुलत चुलता २८/०४/१९५४-- ५. जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा
जीणर वसंतदरडुजी चुलत चुलता २७/०६/१९६६-- ६.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा रामराव नारायणलहानूचुलत ठाकर १२/०६/१९४२-- ७.
जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा हहदू ०१/०७/१९७७जात १५४७मदन ८. जज.प.उ. पा.शा.
दकसनराव कदम रकानयात हहदू ललदहलेले असताना वकडलांचे दाखल खाराज प.क.३२ वरन जातीची नोद अशी नोददवणयात आलेली आहे.
चांरेफळ ता.
ससदखेडराजा 5.
Perusal of the documents filed by the petitioner depicts that caste is recorded as 'Thakur' in the school record of the petitioner's grandfather, cousin grandfather, father consistently. The contra entries do not appear. 6.
The Apex Court has, in case of Anand vs Committee for Scrutiny and Verification of Tribe Claims and Ors. reported in (2012) 1 SCC 113 held that the affinity test is not the litmus test. Father of the petitioner is already issued with the validity certificate and while issuing validity certificate in his favour, it is held that his affinity with the tribe claimed, has been proved. There are no contra documents on record. Even the documents prior to the Presidential Order of the petitioner's grandfather, cousin grandfather record caste as 'Thakur'.
7.
The show cause notice is issued to the father, as to why his validation proceeding should not be re-opened. Considering the above, we pass the following order:
ORDER
(i) The impugned judgment and order is quashed and set aside. (ii) The Committee shall issue validity certificate to the petitioner of Thakur - Scheduled Tribe subject to the decision that will be taken in the validation proceeding of the father of the petitioner.
8.
Writ Petition accordingly disposed of. No costs. ( SHRIKANT D. KULKARNI, J. ) ( S.V. GANGAPURWALA, J. ) vvr