IN THE HIGH COURT AT CALCUTTA Constitutional Writ Jurisdiction Appellate Side Present :- Hon’ble Justice Amrita Sinha WPA 25645 of 2024 Priyanka Shaw & Ors.

Vs.

The State of West Bengal & Ors.

For the writ petitioners :- Mr. Debjyoti Basu, Adv.

Mr. Chandan Kr. Lal, Adv. Mr. Parashar Baidya, Adv.

For State :- Mr. Debajyoti Datta, Sr. Adv.

Mr. Avishek Prasad, Adv.

Hearing concluded on :- 25.03.2025 Judgment on :- 08.04.2025 Amrita Sinha, J.:-

1. The order passed by the Sub-Divisional Officer (Sadar), Hooghly cancelling the caste certificate of the petitioners and the order passed by the appellate authority being the Additional District Magistrate (LR), Hooghly affirming the cancellation, both are under challenge in the instant writ petition.

2. The petitioners are full blooded sisters. They claim Scheduled Tribe reservation with the sub-caste Gond. The petitioners, in support of reservation, rely upon the recording of the caste GOUD ( গৗ ড়) (typed in Bengali language) in the deed of sale executed on 1st December, 1947 where her paternal grandfather was one of the parties.

3. It has been contended that the pre-independence document relied upon by the petitioners carries high evidentiary value a