2025 Supreme(Online)(MP) 8055
HIGH COURT OF MADHYA PRADESH
SHRI PRANAY VERMA, J
KARAN SINGH – Appellant
Versus
THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH AND OTHERS – Respondent
WRIT PETITION No. 34983 of 2025
For the Appellants/Petitioners: Shri Sunil Chouhan
For the Respondents: Shri Kushal Goyal
The 'Mogia' caste is recognized as a Scheduled Tribe, requiring proper caste certificate issuance following established legal precedents.
Headnote:(A) Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 - Caste Certificate - The petitioner, a member of 'Mogia' caste included as a Scheduled Tribe, was wrongfully categorized as Scheduled Caste by the state authorities - The court emphasized the authority of Presidential notifications under the Scheduled Tribes Order and established that prior decisions of the Division Bench clarifying the status of 'Mogia' must be followed. (Paras 2-11)
(B) Administrative Law - Judicial Review - The standard of documentary evidence required, as per judicial precedent, mandates that existing records affirming caste claims must be examined without mechanical dismissal, substantiating the claim of the Mogia community as a Scheduled Tribe. (Paras 9-10)
Facts of the case:
The petitioner challenged the refusal to issue a caste certificate, asserting his rightful classification under Scheduled Tribes based on the Presidential Order.
Findings of Court:
The petitioner's claim to belong to the Mogia Scheduled Tribe was legally supported by precedent and verified documents, thus requiring issuance of the caste certificate.
Issues: The main issue was whether the petitioner rightly qualified for a Scheduled Tribe caste certificate despite state assertions to the contrary.
Ratio Decidendi: The court reaffirmed the necessity of treating documented evidence legitimately and ruled that previous court findings must be adhered to, establishing the petitioner's status as a member of a Scheduled Tribe.
Result: The orders denying the petitioner a caste certificate were quashed, and issuance was mandated within three months.
| Table of Content |
|---|
| 1. petitioner challenges refusal of caste certificate. (Para 1 , 2) |
| 2. court scrutinizes evidence and precedent regarding caste classification. (Para 3 , 4 , 5 , 6) |
| 3. emphasizes judicial verification of caste claims based on established law. (Para 8 , 9) |
| 4. order quashing previous denials of the caste certificate. (Para 11) |
ORDER
1. The petitioner before this Court has filed present petition being aggrieved by order dated 30.11.2023 (Annexure - P/2) passed by the Additional Collector, District Dhar, whereby he has refused to issue Caste Certificate in favour of the petitioner by treating him to be belonging to Schedule Tribe. The petitioner has also challenged the order dated 10.07.2025 passed by the Additional Commissioner, Indore Division, Indore whereby the appeal preferred by him against the said order has been dismissed.
2. The petitioner is undoubtedly a member of 'Mogia' caste and 'Mogia' caste has been included in Scheduled Tribe Category at Entry No.16 in the Presidential Notification issued by the State of Madhya Pradesh under the provisions of Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order, 1950 . The respondents in fact are treating the petitioner as a member belonging to Scheduled Caste.
3. Shri Sunil Chouhan has drawn the attention of this Court towards a judgment delivered in the case of State of M.P. & Others Vs. Dule Singh Solanki & Others reported in 2014(1) MPHT 331 (DB). In the aforesaid case, there was a similar controversy involved and the persons belonging to 'Mogia' caste were not being treated as Scheduled Tribe. The Division Bench of this Court in the aforesaid case in paragraphs No.3 to 9 has held as under:-
“3. Sole respondent Dule Singh Solanki claiming himself to be a member of Mogia Caste, submitted an application dated 24.11.11 before the Sub Divisional Officer, Revenue Tehsil Tarana District Ujjain for issuance of a caste certificate. It was stated in the application that Mogia Caste has been included as a Scheduled Tribe as per the Presidential Notification issued under the provisions of Constitution (Schedule Tribe) Order 1950. The application of the sole respondent was processed and a report was obtained from Patwari of the village. The Patwari has submitted his report after due enquiry to the Naib Tehsildar, Tarana on 18.12.11 duly certifying that the sole respondent Dule Singh Solanki is a member of Mogia Tribe. It was also reflected in the Patwari's report that based upon the pre- independence land record documents, the caste of the sole respondent is Mogia and statement of villagers was also recorded as well as a Panchnama was also prepared. The Naib Tehsildar forwarded the report of the Patwari to the Sub-Divisional Officer with a recommendation for issuing a caste certificate treating Dule Singh Solanki as a member of Scheduled Tribe category. The Sub Divisional Officer, however has rejected the petitioner's claim for issuance of a caste certificate of schedule tribe category vide order dated 4.1.12. The sole respondent being aggrieved by the order dated 4.1.12 preferred a revision petition under Section 50 of M.P. Land Revenue Code, 1959, however the same was dismissed by the Collector, District Ujjain and being aggrieved by the order passed by the Sub Divisional Officer dated 4.1.12 and the order passed by the Collector dated 30th April, 2012, a writ petition preferred before this Court. A ground was raised by the petitioner therein i.e. in WP No.9296/12 that as per Constitution (Scheduled Tribe) Order 1950 'Mogia Caste' in the State of Madhya Pradesh at item number 16 finds place and its a Scheduled Tribe. It was also argued that in a similar case, the Division Bench of this Court i.e. in the case of Krashnapalsing and Ors. Vs. State of Madhya Pradesh and Ors. [WP No.6762/2007 (PIL)] decided on 23.1.2008 has held that the Mogia is a Scheduled Tribe in the entire State of Madhya Pradesh. It was also brought to the notice of the learned Single Judge that all the relatives of the sole