The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, ordered the Scrutiny Committee to issue a Scheduled Caste ‘Chambhar’ certificate to Congress leader Rashmi Barve within a week, declaring that her certificate had been unjustly nullified in what the court termed as a “witch hunt.”
A division bench comprising Justices Avinash Gharote and M.S. Jawalkar sharply criticized the Caste Scrutiny Committee (CSC) for acting as a mere tool of the administration. The court imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on the CSC, which must be paid to Barve within a week.
The court observed that Barve’s caste certificate was wrongfully revoked, with the primary motive being to prevent her from contesting the parliamentary elections. Barve had been nominated by Congress to contest the Ramtek Lok Sabha seat before her caste certificate was rejected by the committee in March on allegations that she had fraudulently obtained the SC ‘Chambhar’ certificate.
Barve challenged both the CSC’s decision and the Returning Officer’s order rejecting her nomination for the parliamentary elections. The High Court ruled in her favor, affirming that she belongs to the Scheduled Caste ‘Chambhar’.
The judges condemned the CSC for being swayed by external influence and failing to conduct an impartial investigation. Instead of adhering to the principles of natural justice, the CSC appeared to have pursued a biased agenda, depriving Barve of the opportunity to run for public office.
The court further noted that the Vigilance Cell’s independent investigation had found sufficient evidence confirming the validity of Barve’s caste claim. As a result, the court annulled the committee’s decision and strongly criticized its conduct, stating that such actions should not be repeated.
Additionally, the High Court ruled that the CSC must pay the ₹1 lakh fine to Barve within a week as a deterrent against future misuse of authority. The CSC was also ordered to issue Barve’s caste validity certificate within the same timeframe, and any actions taken based on the committee’s previous decision were declared void.
The court refused to stay its order, despite a request from the state government.
(With inputs from agency)
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