Pooja Anantkumar Devale Through Poa Anantkumar Kusheba Devale And Another v. The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Secretary And Others

2025:BHC-AUG:28357-DB :: 1 ::

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY

BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO.12368 OF 2025 Pooja d/o Anantkumar Devale & anr.

... PETITIONERS

VERSUS

The State of Maharashtra & anr.

... RESPONDENTS .......

Mr. S.M. Vibhute, Advocate for petitioners Mrs. K.B. Patil Bharaswadkar, A.G.P. for respondents .......

WITH WRIT PETITION NO.12335 OF 2025 Varsha d/o Anantkumar Devale ... PETITIONER

VERSUS

The State of Maharashtra & ors.

... RESPONDENTS .......

Mr. S.M. Vibhute, Advocate for petitioner Mr. A.A.A. Khan, A.G.P. for respondents .......

CORAM : R.G. AVACHAT AND ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, JJ.

DATE : 8th OCTOBER, 2025 O R D E R :

Heard. In both these Writ Petitions, the petitioners are challenging the common judgment and order passed by

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the Caste Scrutiny Committee, by which their caste claims of belonging to "Koli Mahadev", Scheduled Tribe has been rejected.

2.

The learned counsel for the petitioners submits that, the blood relatives of the petitioners have been granted validity by the Caste Scrutiny Committee as well as by this Court. He has invited our attention to the order dated 14/8/2024, passed by this Court in Writ Petition No.12715/2023 (Amol s/o Tukaram Devale Vs. The State of Maharashtra & another), in which the blood relative of the petitioners has been granted validity by this Court, though the same is conditional.

3.

The learned A.G.P., on the other hand, has not disputed the said fact of the petitioners' being blood relatives of those validity holders. Considering the said aspect, we adopt the same course as has been adopted by this Court in respect of the petitioners (supra). We, therefore, pass the following order:

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O R D E R

(i) The Writ Petitions are partly allowed.

(ii) The impugned common order dated 26/9/2025, passed by the respondent No.2 Committee is set aside.

(iii) The respondent Committee is directed to immediately issue caste validity certificates in favour of the petitioners of belonging to "Koli Mahadev", Scheduled Tribe in the prescribed format without adding anything.

(iv) The validities shall be subject to the final outcome of the matters which the Committee has decided to reopen. (v) The petitioners shall not be entitled to claim equities. (ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J.) (R.G. AVACHAT, J.) fmp/-