2026:BHC-NAG:513-DB IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR WRIT PETITION NO. 8434/2025

1. Rudra Gunwanta Zalte, Aged Minor years, Occ. Education, Through his Natural Guardian Father, Gunwanta Jagannath Zalte Aged 35 years, Occ. Agriculturist, R/o Dadulgaon, Tah. & Dist.

Jalgaon Jamod, Buldhana.

... PETITIONER ...VERSUS…

1. The Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Through Its Member / Secretary, Bhatkuli Road, Amravati, Dist. Amravati.

2. The Sub-Divisional Officer, Jalgaon Jamod, Tq. & Dist.

Buldhana, ...RESPONDENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. Guarav Narayan Upadhyay, Advocate for petitioner Mr. N. R. Patil, AGP for respondents/State ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CORAM : SMT. M.S. JAWALKAR AND NANDESH S. DESHPANDE, JJ.

DATED : 07 ^th JANUARY, 2026 .

JUDGMENT (PER : NANDESH S. DESHPANDE, J.)

Heard. Rule. Rule is made returnable forthwith. Matter is taken up for final hearing at the stage of admission by consent of the parties and at the request of parties.

2. By this Writ Petition, the Petitioner is challenging the order dated 28.03.2025 passed by the Respondent No.2 Sub-Divisional Officer, Jalgaon Jamod, thereby rejected the caste claim of the Petitioner, and the order dated 29.10.2025 passed by the Respondent No.1 Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Amravati (for short the "Scrutiny Committee"), thereby invalidating the caste claim of the Petitioner to the "Koli Mahadeo" Scheduled Tribe enlisted at Sr. No. 29 in the list of Scheduled Tribes in Constitutional (S.T.) Order 1950.

3. Learned counsel for the Petitioner submits that the Petitioner had submitted application along with numerous documents through his father to the Respondent No.2 Sub-Divisional Officer, Jalgaon Jamod for grant of Scheduled Tribe Certificate belonging to Koli Mahadeo caste falling under Scheduled Tribe Category.

4. It is further contended that the respondent No. 2, after examining the documents submitted by the Petitioner, concluded that the Petitioner has not satisfied in respect of documents prior to 1950. Furthermore, the respondent No. 2, by order dated 28.03.2025, refused to issue a caste certificate to the Petitioner. It is to be noted that the respondent authorities failed to consider the School Extract issued in favour of the petitioner's father, Gunwanta Jagannath Zalte, dated 20.06.2005, which unequivocally records his caste as Koli Mahadeo (Scheduled Tribe).

5. It is further submitted that the petitioner had submitted all requisite documents before the Respondent No.2 for issuance of the caste certificate. It was incumbent upon Respondent No.2 to issue the certificate, which would thereafter be subject to verification by the Scrutiny Committee. However, both respondents have failed to discharge their duties, thereby denying justice to the petitioner. It is further contended that this Court has recently dealt with the identical issues in W.P. No. 416/2025 (Nagpur Bench), wherein by order dated 09.10.2025, both the orders passed by the Scrutiny Committee and the Sub-Divisional Officer were set aside, and directions were issued to the Sub-Divisional Officer to issue caste certificates.

6. The Petitioner contended that Respondent No. 2 rejected the Petitioner's claim by order dated 28.03.2025, which was confirmed by Respondent No. 1 through order dated 29.10.2025, thereby denying issuance of the caste certificate, which are the substance of challenge in this petition.

7. As against this, the Respondents contended that they rejected the petitioner's request for a caste certificate of "Koli Mahadeo" (Scheduled Tribe) because the petitioner failed to provide documents prior to 1950. The respondent asserted that the Petitioner failed to provide valid prior to 1950 evidence proving Scheduled Tribe status as required under the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Vimu