Nagpur ZP Member Rashmi Barve’s Caste Validity Restored by High Court
The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court overturned the decision of the District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee (CSC) to cancel the caste certificate of Rashmi Barve, a Zilla Parishad member from Nagpur. The court also fined the CSC Rs 1 lakh for not following proper procedure.
Rashmi Barve's caste certificate, which identified her as belonging to the Scheduled Caste 'Chambhar,' had been approved earlier. However, the CSC later cancelled it after receiving complaints, including one from Sunil Salve. Barve argued that her certificate had already been fully verified and should not have been cancelled unless there was proof of fraud.0
The court criticized the CSC for acting under political pressure and making a rushed decision. The judges said the CSC did not give Barve enough time to respond and labelled the cancellation process as suspicious. The court ordered the CSC to re-issue Barve’s caste certificate within a week and stressed that such committees must act independently and fairly.
This ruling sends a strong message that caste certificates, once validated, cannot be easily revoked without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
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