Babu Naganna Totod v. The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Secretary And Others

2026:BHC-AUG:21913-DB 1 1002.doc

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

BENCH AT AURANGABAD 1002 WRIT PETITION NO. 774 OF 2026 BABU NAGANNA TOTOD

VERSUS

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

Advocate for the Petitioner : Mr. Jadhavar Pratap V. AGP/APP for Respondent/State : Ms. M.N. Ghanekar ...

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

DATE : 06.05.2026 PER COURT : (PER : ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J.) .

Heard.

2.

By this Writ Petition, the petitioner seeks to challenge the judgment and order dated 01.12.2025 passed by the respondent/Scrutiny Committee by which the tribe claim of petitioner of belonging to 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe has been invalidated. 3.

Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that in support of claim of the petitioner, the petitioner has placed on record voluminous documents to substantiate the tribe claim. He would further submit that all these documents have been discarded. Moreover, the validities granted in favour of the blood relatives of the petitioner on which the petitioner is relying, have already been discarded. 4.

He further submits that a son of the petitioner namely Saurabh

2 1002.doc Baburao Totod has been granted conditional validity by this Court vide order dated 17.07.2023 in Writ Petition No.8276 of 2023. He therefore, urge that the petitioner deserves to be granted conditional validity. 5.

Per contra, the learned AGP tried to justify the order however, does not dispute the fact that a son of the petitioner has been granted conditional validity by this Court so also does not dispute the relationship of the petitioner with the said validity holder Sourabh Baburao Totod.

6.

We find that a son of petitioner viz. Saurabh (supra) whose tribe claim was invalidated had approached this Court by filing the Writ Petition and this Court granted the conditional validity after considering the self-same record.

7.

In light of the fact that there is no dispute about the relationship, we find that the petitioner deserves to be granted conditional validity. We thus, pass the following order :

ORDER

i) The Writ Petition is partly allowed.

ii) The impugned order dated 01.12.2025 passed by the respondent/Scrutiny Committee invalidating the tribe claim of the petitioner of belonging to 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe is hereby quashed and set-aside.

iii) The respondent/Scrutiny Committee shall issue the tribe validity certificate of belonging to 'Mannervarlu'

3 1002.doc Scheduled Tribe to the petitioner.

iv) The validity certificate granted to the petitioner will be subject to the outcome of the re-verification of the validity certificate of Sonali Baburao Totod proposed to be reopened by the Scrutiny Committee.

v) The petitioner will not claim any equity.

( ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J. ) ( SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE, J. ) vsj..