2026:BHC-AS:2429-DB IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY Digitally signed by URMILA URMILA PRAMOD PRAMOD INGALE CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION Date:

INGALE 2026.01.19

19:18:05 +0530 WRIT PETITION NO. 7690 OF 2024 Chetan Methrana Shinde … Petitioner V/s.

State of Maharashtra and anr. … Respondents Mr. Rahul Kadam a/w Mr. Vedant Babar, for the Petitioner.

Ms. Kavita N. Solunke, Addl. GP a/w Ms. Rupali M. Shinde, AGP, for the Respondent-State.

CORAM : M.S. KARNIK AND S.M.MODAK, JJ.

DATE : 16^th JANUARY 2026 ORAL JUDGMENT ( PER M.S.KARNIK, J.) :-

1. Heard learned counsel for the Petitioner and learned AGP appearing for the Respondent – State.

2. The caste claim of the Petitioner as belonging to ‘Phase-Pardhi, Scheduled Tribe’ has been invalidated by the Respondent No.2- Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Pune, (‘The Committee’, for short). We have perused the impugned order. Learned AGP while arguing in support of the order has submitted that the Committee has for valid reasons invalidated the caste claim of the Petitioner. It is submitted that the Petitioner has not been able to produce any pre-constitutional documents on record in support of his tribe claim and moreover, the c