ORDER

In Kumar Madhuri Patil v. Addl. Commissioner, Tribal Development1, this Court had issued guidelines for the officers to issue caste certificates to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of admission to educational institutions and also employment to a post or office under the State. When the similar matter, viz. Director of Tribal Welfare, Government of A.P. v. Laveti Giri & Anr.2, had come up before the Court, this Court reiterated the guidelines in paragraph 7 indicating the manner in which the applications were required to be disposed of. In paragraph 8, also it was indicated that the Government of India would come forward with uniform legislation and necessary guidelines prescribing penal action against persons who violate such guidelines or obtain false caste certificates, which is a fraud on the Constitution and defeat the constitutional objectives.

2. The Andhra Pradesh State Legislature has enacted the Andhra Pradesh (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes) Regulation of Issue of Community-Certificates Act, 1993 (16 of 1993) (for short, the Act ) which came into force with effect from September 8, 1993. The above Act came to be m