Pavan Saylu Thakrod And Others v. The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Secretary And Others

1 62 WP 4258-25

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

BENCH AT AURANGABAD 62 WRIT PETITION NO. 4258 OF 2025 PAVAN SAYLU THAKROD AND OTHERS

VERSUS

THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS ...

Mr. Phatale Sagar S., Advocate for the Petitioner Ms. M. N. Ghanekar, AGP for Respondent-State ....

CORAM : SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE AND ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, JJ.

DATED : 20/04/2026 P. C. : (PER : ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J.) 1.

Heard.

2.

By this writ petition, the petitioners challenge the order dated 19/03/2025 passed by the respondent Scrutiny Committee, whereby their tribe claims of belonging to 'Mannervarlu', a Scheduled Tribe, have been invalidated.

3.

Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that the petitioners have placed on record voluminous documentary evidence to substantiate their tribe claims, including validity certificates issued in favour of their blood relatives. However, the respondent / Scrutiny Committee discarded the same and

2 62 WP 4258-25 invalidated the petitioners' claims. He invited our attention to the order passed by this Court in the case of Ankush Hanmantrao Thakrod in Writ Petition No.10163 of 2024, wherein, by order dated 19/09/2024, this Court granted conditional validity in favour of the said petitioner. Learned counsel further submits that the relationship of the petitioners with the said validity holder is not in dispute.

4.

Per contra, the learned AGP submits that there are certain contra entries indicating that the petitioners do not belong to the 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe. She further submits that the petitioners have failed to establish their relationship with the said validity holder. She, therefore, contends that since the petitioners have failed to substantiate their claims before the respondent / Scrutiny Committee, the impugned order of invalidation is justified. Accordingly, she urges that the writ petition deserves to be dismissed.

5.

Having heard the learned counsel for the petitioners and the learned AGP and upon perusal of the record, we find that the relationship of the petitioners with the validity holder, namely Ankush Hanmantrao Thakrod in Writ Petition No. 10163 of 2024, has not been disputed. We further note that this Court, by order dated 19/09/2024, after considering the record, granted validity to the said Ankush, who is admittedly a blood relative of the petitioners. In view of the above, we are inclined to partly allow the writ petition by granting conditional validity to the petitioners. We, therefore, pass the following order:

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ORDER

A) The writ petition is partly allowed.

B) The impugned order dated 19/03/2025 passed by the respondent / Scrutiny Committee is hereby quashed and set aside.

C) The respondent Scrutiny Committee is directed to issue validity certificates to the petitioners certifying that they belong to 'Mannervarlu', a Scheduled Tribe.

D) Needless to state, the validity granted to the petitioners shall be co-terminus with the validity granted to the earlier validity holder.

E) The petitioners shall not be entitled to claim any equities on the basis of this order.

F) With these directions, the writ petition stands disposed of.

( ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J. ) ( SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE, J. ) VS Maind/-