R.K. Deshpande, J.

The challenge in this petition is to the order dated 11-6-2013 passed by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Gadchiroli, Division Nagpur, invalidating the claim of the petitioner for ‘Mana’ (Scheduled Tribe Category), and consequently cancelling and confiscating the certificate dated 1-8-2011 issued by the Sub-Divisional Officer, Bramhapuri, in the name of the petitioner as belonging to ‘Mana’, Scheduled Tribe, which is an Entry No. 18 in the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950.

2. Before the Committee, the petitioner produced about six documents indicating his caste and that of his forefathers and blood relatives as ‘Mana”. The document produced pertaining to the pre-constitution period is in respect of the great grandfather Madho s/o Ako Mana, which is a revenue record of the year produced was in the name of Lavha s.o Madho, who was the grandfather of the petitioner showing the caste ‘Mana’ in the revenue record of the year 1970-71. The petitioner also produced the caste validity certificate issued by the same Committee in the name of Gangadhar Balaji Ghodmare, the real brother of the petitioner, showing his caste as ‘Mana’. The