News Analysis India

Tag: Caste certificate

  • SC commission visits Sameer Wankhede’s house to verify caste certificates

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: After NCP minister Nawab Malik’s allegations against NCB Director Sameer Wankhede for illegally obtaining the bogus Hindu scheduled caste certificate, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Sunday met Sameer and his family at their residence to check their certificates.

    Earlier, NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede had denied the allegations levelled against him by Nawab Malik. He also clarified that his father is a Hindu while his late mother was a Muslim. “I got married under a special marriage act. I am entitled to get my father’s caste benefits,” he added.

    NCP minister Nawab Malik said he is 100% sure that Sameer Wankhede has forged his caste certificate. He also said the national commission of SC has no right and jurisdiction to check and verify the caste certificate that is done by the state caste verifications committee.

    Following the allegations, Sameer Wankhede had registered a complaint with the NCSC and the commission initiated an inquiry into the matter. He also presented his caste certificates before the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) on Sunday.

    After meeting Sameer Wankhede and his family at their residence, NCSC Vice Chairmen Arun Haldar said, “An officer cannot give a forged certificate to a commission. I have seen the certificates and after seeing them I think they are genuine.”

    Haldar further said that he heard the news about how some quarters were trying to conspire against Sameer Wankhede.

    “But the commission is here to safeguard a Scheduled Caste family. That’s why this commission was formed in the first place. If we find that some people are involved in this conspiracy, then under Article 338, we will put the Prevention of Atrocities Act on them,” he said.

    Nawab Malik had alleged that Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim by birth and had forged his caste certificate in order to qualify for the civil services under the Scheduled Caste quota.

    Sameer’s wife Kranti Redkar said that the officials saw the original documents and they were “satisfied” and “happy”.

    “Earlier, we had shown the xerox and attested copies but today they had the chance to see the originals. Now it’s time to investigate those who levelled allegations against us,” she said.

    Earlier in the day, Kranti Redkar, along with Sameer Wankhede’s father, met Union minister Ramdas Athawale and showed him various documents. The minister said that he would support the Wankhede family.

    Sameer Wankhede’s father earlier said that he’s a Dalit and follows Babasaheb Ambedkar. He also requested Maharashtra Cabinet minister Nawab Malik not to malign his family with wrong accusations.

    Wankhede was at the forefront of the investigation in the Mumbai cruise drugs case involving Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan.

  • Repeated inquiries to verify caste certificates would be detrimental to SC/STs: Supreme Court

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Repeated inquiries for verification of caste certificates would be detrimental to the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Supreme Court said on Thursday.

    A bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and Aniruddha Bose made the observation while setting aside an order passed by the Chennai District Vigilance Committee cancelling the community certificate of a person.

    “The purpose of verification of caste certificates by Scrutiny Committees is to avoid false and bogus claims. Repeated inquiries for verification of caste certificates would be detrimental to the members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes,” the bench said.

    The top court said the reopening of inquiry into caste certificates can be only in the case if they are vitiated by fraud or when they were issued without proper inquiry.

    Referring to its earlier decisions, the apex court said the Scrutiny Committee is an administrative body that verifies the facts and investigates claims of caste status and its orders are open to challenge in proceedings under Article 226 ( power of judicial review )of the Constitution.

    The bench said that the verification of caste certificates issued without prior inquiry would be verified by the Scrutiny Committees.

    Such caste certificates which were issued after due and proper inquiry need not to be verified by the Scrutiny Committees, it said.

    The bench noted that in the instant case, an inquiry was conducted by the District Level Vigilance Committee which has upheld the community certificate issued in favour of the person.

    The top court said that the decision of the District Level Vigilance Committee in the year 1999 has not been challenged in any forum and the recognition of the community certificate issued in her favour having become final, the State Level Scrutiny Committee did not have jurisdiction to reopen the matter and remand for fresh consideration by the District Level Vigilance Committee.

  • Bombay High Court cancels caste certificate of Amravati MP Navneet Rana

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday cancelled the caste certificate issued to Amravati Lok Sabha member Navneet Kaur Rana, saying it was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents, and directed her to surrender it within six weeks.

    A division bench of Justices R D Dhanuka and V G Bisht also imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh, which she needs to pay to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority within a period of two weeks.

    The HC noted that the claim of belonging to ‘Mochi’ caste made by Rana for obtaining the Scheduled Caste certificate itself was fraudulent and made with an intention to obtain various benefits available to a candidate from such category, despite knowing she does not belong to that caste.

    Rana was elected from Maharashtra’s Amravati Lok Sabha constituency in 2019.