Khushi Haribhau Bayaskar v. The S.T. Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Thr. Member Secretary And Dy. Director

2026:BHC-NAG:3987-DB 1 wp 2062.26 judg.odt

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY

NAGPUR BENCH : NAGPUR Writ Petition No.2062/2026 Khushi Haribhau Bayaskar, Age 18 years, Occ- Student, R/o.-Plot No.15, Mohadi Road, Nehru Nagar, Jalgaon. .... Petitioner. -VersusThe Scheduled Tribes Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, through it's Member Secretary and Deputy Director, Irvin Sq. Amravati. .... Respondent. --- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Mr. R.S. Suryawanshi, Advocate for petitioner. Mrs. M. Naik, AGP for respondent.

----- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CORAM : Smt. M.S. Jawalkar and Nandesh S. Deshpande, JJ. DATE : 10-03-2026.

Oral Judgment (Per-Nandesh S. Deshpande, J.) Issue notice to the respondent.

2.

Learned AGP waives service of notice on behalf of the respondent.

3.

Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith.

4.

This is a petition, seeking direction to the respondent Scrutiny Committee to decide the caste claim of the petitioner within a stipulated period.

5.

We have heard learned Counsel for the petitioner and the learned AGP for the respondent.

6.

It is contended in the petition that the petitioner belongs to the 'Thakur Scheduled Tribe'. It is further submitted that on 01-01-2018, Sub-Divisional Officer, Murtijapur, has issued a caste certificate in favour of the petitioner. Thereafter, on 19-05-2025, the

2 wp 2062.26 judg.odt petitioner has submitted a proposal for verification of her caste claim in accordance with the provisions of the Maharashtra Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes, and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate Act, 2000 (Act No.XXIII of 2001). It is the contention of learned Counsel for the petitioner that her caste claim has not yet been decided and the same is still pending before the respondent-Scrutiny Committee. Therefore, he filed the present petition seeking a direction to the respondent-Scrutiny Committee to decide the caste claim of the petitioner within a stipulated period.

7.

Having heard the learned Counsel for the petitioner and the learned AGP, we are of the considered opinion that the petition can be disposed of with a direction to the Scrutiny Committee, Amravati, to decide the caste claim of the petitioner within a period of four months from the date of this order.

8.

Rule is made absolute in above terms. No costs. (Nandesh S. Deshpande , J.

) (Smt. M.S. Jawalkar J.

) Deshmukh Signed by: Mr. S.Deshmukh Designation: PS To Honourable Judge Date: 10/03/2026 18:34:48