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PETITIONER: GAYATRILAXMI BAPURAO NAGPURE

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: STATE OF MAHARASHTRA &. OTHERS

DATE OF JUDGMENT:       15/03/1996

BENCH: VENKATASWAMI K. (J) BENCH: VENKATASWAMI K. (J) PUNCHHI, M.M.

CITATION:  1996 AIR 1338            1996 SCC  (3) 685  JT 1996 (3)   405        1996 SCALE  (3)53

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                       J U D G M E N T K. VENKATASWAMI, J.      Leave granted.      This appeal  is directed  against  the  Division  Bench Judgment of  the Bombay High Court in W.P. No. 2773/95 dated 22.6.95.      At the  time of  arguments before  us, learned  counsel appearing for  the appellant  has confined his contention to the claim  of the  appellant that  she  belongs  to  "Halba" Scheduled Tribe.      Briefly stated  the facts are that the appellant with a view  to   apply  for   admission  to  the  Medical  Course, approached the  second respondent, the Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny  Committee (for  Short "Committee") for the issue  of a  caste certificate  to the  effect that  she belongs to  "Halba" Scheduled  Tribe to  enable her to apply for admission  to the Medical Course under that category. In support of  her  claim,  apart  from  appearing  before  the Committee and  furnishing certain information, the appellant has filed  17 documents consisting of certificates issued by Executive Magistrate  and School  Certificate issued  to her and Caste Certificate issued to her father.      The second  respondent Committee  while considering the claim of the appellant and evaluating the probative value of the documents  produced, did  not appear  to have dealt with one important  document, namely,  Certificate No.  9 in  the Order of  the second  respondent which  related to  an Order passed by  the Government  on appeal  by the first cousin of the appellant in the matter of issue of Caste Certificate to him. That  Order of  the Government  dated 1.9.81 overruling the Order  of  a  Committee,  granted  a  Caste  Certificate holding that  the first  cousin of  the appellant,  by name, Abinash Prabhakar  Nagpure belonged  to "Halba" community, a Scheduled Tribe in the State of Maharashtra. Likewise, while brushing aside the Caste Certificate issued in favour of the

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appellant’s father,  the Scrutiny  Committee merely observed that it  was  issued  in  a  casual  manner  without  proper verification.      In the  course  of  the  argument  before  us,  learned counsel for the appellant contended that in the light of the Instructions issued  by the Government of Maharashtra’s that if a  close relative  is already  given a Caste Certificate, that must  be given due weight, has not been followed by the Committee. He  also submitted that the Certificate issued on 26.8.71 by  the appropriate authority after verification was the basis  for the  issue of  the Caste  Certificate to  the father of  the appellant,  was not noticed by the Committee. However, the  Certificate dated  26.8.71  was  not  produced before  the   Committee.  From   the  Order  passed  by  the Committee, we  find that  the failure  of the  appellant  to produce her  father’s Primary  School Certificate  was taken serious note of to reject the appellant’s claim.      Before the High Court also, it is claimed, reliance was placed on  the Caste  Certificate issued to the first cousin and also  the Death  Certificate issued  on the death of the appellant’s grandmother  but those were not discussed by the High Court.      Learned   counsel   appearing   for   the   respondents supporting the  Order  of  the  second-respondent  Committee submitted that  in view  of the  judgments of  this Court in Kumari Madhuri  Patil and  Anr. vs. Additional Commissioner, Tribal Development  & Ors.  (1994) 6  SCC 241);  Director of Tribal Welfare,  Govt. of A.P. vs. Laveti Giri & Anr. (1995) 4 SCC  32) the  conclusion recorded by the second-respondent Committee does not call for any interference.      We have considered the rival submission and perused the order of  the second-respondent  Committee and  also that of High Court.      We  have   noticed  earlier  that  before  the  second- respondent Committee,  17 documents  were  produced  by  the appellant to  support the claim that she belonged to "Halba" Scheduled  Tribe.   The  second-respondent  Committee  while appreciating  the   probative  value   of  almost   all  the documents, did  not  refer  to  and  consider  an  important document, namely,  an order  passed  by  the  Government  on appeal at  the instance  of Abinash  Prabhakar  Nagpure  for identical relief.  It is not disputed before us that Abinash Prabhakar Nagpure  is the first cousin of the appellant. The Government by  the said  order dated  1.9.81  reversing  the order of  the Committee  recognized  the  claim  of  Abinash Prabhakar Nagpure  that he  belonged  to  "Halba"  Scheduled Tribe.      The documents  placed  before  the  Committee  are  the following :      1. Copy  of the  caste  certificate      issued by  Principal,  G.N.  Khalsa      College, Bombay dated 5.7.94.      2. Zerox  copy  of  school  leaving      certificate  issued   by  Principal      AFAC   English   School,   Chembur,      Bombay vide Reg No. 3032.      3. Zerox  copy  of  school  leaving      certificate issued  by Head Master,      St.   Sabastian’s    High   School,      Chambur Bombay vide. Reg. no. 4768.      4. Zerox  copy  of  School  leaving      certificate  issued  by  Principal,      St.  Judge’s  High  School,  Kalyan      vide Reg. No. 2185.      5. Zerox  copy of caste certificate

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    issued    by     Sub     Divisional      Magistrate, Nashik  Dn. Nashik vide      No.;  EDN/POL   II//STSC.Sr./129/92      dated 31.11.92.      6. Zerox copy of certificate issued      by  Chairman,   Halba  Samaj   Seva      Mandal, Naushik, dated 14.6.94.      7. Zerox  copy of caste certificate      issued  by   Executive  Magistrate,      Nagpure vide  No. 3583/MRC-87/92-93      dated 13.4.93.      8. Zerox copy of certificate issued      by  Chief  P&A  Manager,  Hindustan      Petroleum Corporation  Ltd.  Bombay      dated 2.3.94.      9.Zerox copy  of  order  passed  by      Assistant Secretary  to Government,      Social Welfare  and  Sports  Deptt.      dated 1.9.81  in respect of Abinash      Prabhakar Nagpure.      10. Zerox copy of caste certificate      issued  by   Executive   Magistrate      Kopargaon dated  28.2.81 in respect      of Abihash Prabhakar Nagpure.      11.  Zerox   copy  of   certificate      marriage  in   respect  of  Avinash      Prabhakar Nagpure.      12. Zerox  copy of  order passed by      Divisional Commissioner,  Konkan  &      Bombay    Division     vide     No.      SO/POL/APPEAL/ST/15/82  in  respect      of Miss Versha Laxmikant Belekar.      13. Zerox  copy of case certificate      issued  by   District   Magistrate,      Greater Bombay in respect of Varsha      Laxmikant Belekar.      14. Zerox  copy of  certificate  of      validity issued  by Tribal Research      & Training  Institute,  Pune  dated      29.3.94  in   respect  of  Virendra      Laxmikant Relekar.      15. Zerox copy of caste certificate      issued  by   Executive  Magistrate,      Nagpur  in   respect  of  Prabhakar      Nagpure dated 2.9.82.      16. Zerox copy of death certificate      in respect  of  Taramati  Shantaram      Nagpure   issued    by    Gramvikas      Adhikari Kopargaon.      17. Zerox copy of affidavit of Shri      Abinash Prabhakar Nagpure.      The second-respondent Committee ignored Sl.Nos. 1-4, 6, 8, 16  & 17,  though they  relate to  school records  of the appellant, her  relatives wherein  the appellant’s  caste is recorded as "Halba" by simply stating that "they were issued in a  very casual  manner without  verifying the  guidelines given by  the Government  from time  to time  to issue  such certificates". Again  while rejecting SL.. Nos. 5, 7, 10, 13 & 14, the Committee has commented that "there is no room for the presumption  that the  certificate  has  been  correctly issued". We  are not able to appreciate this approach of the Committee in  rejecting the  certificates in  the absence of any attempt  on the  side of  the Government  to suspect the correctness/genuineness of  the documents  produced  by  the appellant. We  find from the copies of Certificates included

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in  the   paper  book  that  the  Domicile  and  Nationality certificate issued  to the  appellant’s father (Annexure "C" at page  28 of  paper book)  was  issued  on  the  basis  of particulars of proof given as under:      A) Answer given by the Applicant on      the   prescribed    form   of   the      questionnaire.      B) Birth  or School  leaving  or  a      like  Certificate  issued  by  Shri      Sainath    Madhyamik     Vidyalaya.      Shirdi.      C)  Affidavits  or  Declaration  of      Birth Place & Caste.      D) together proof): Nil.      Likewise the  caste certificate issued to the appellant was not  issued in a casual manner but after verification of relevant records. Similarly, the caste certificate issued to the father  of the appellant was not casual one but based on the following particulars :-      1) Age, Domicile. Nationality certificate.      2) Brother S.L.C.      3) Nephew S.L.C.      4) Son, Bona fide Certificate.      t) Brothers Caste Certificate.      b) Samaj Dakhala.      7) Ration Card.      8) Affidavit and Application.      Taking into  consideration these  certificates and also the order  of the  Government dated  1.9.81 certifying  that Abinash Prabhakar  Nagpure, first  cousin of  the  appellant belongs to  "Halba" community,  we are  of the view that the rejection of  the appellant’s claim especially when there is no  other  evidence  placed  contra  to  suspect  the  proof produced by the appellant and without appreciating the vital document placed before the Committee, is not correct.      lt is  true that  this Court  in Kumari Madhuri Patil’s case (supra) has observed :-      "The Committee  which is  empowered      to  evaluate  the  evidence  placed      before it when records a finding of      fact, it  ought to  prevail  unless      found vitiated  by judicial  review      of  any   High  Court   subject  to      limitations  of  interference  with      findings  of  fact.  The  Committee      when  considers  all  the  material      facts and records a finding, though      another view,  as a court of appeal      may be possible, it is not a ground      to reverse  the findings. The court      has to  see whether  the  Committee      Considered   all    the    relevant      material placed  before it  or  has      not applied  its mind  to  relevant      facts which  have led the committee      ultimately  recorded  the  finding.      Each case must be considered in the      backdrop of its own facts."      The same view has been reiterated in Director of Tribal Welfare, Govt. A.P. vs. Laveti Giri & Anr. (1995) 4 SCC 32.      Applying the  above test  to the  facts of  the present case. we are satisfied that the Committee failed to consider all the  relevant materials  placed before  it and  did  not apply its  mind to  an important document "SL.. No. 9" which led the  Committee ultimately  record a  finding against the

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appellant. By  a wrongful  denial of  the caste certificate, the genuine  candidate,  he/she  will  be  deprived  of  the privileges  conferred  upon  him/her  by  the  Constitution. Therefore greater  care must  be taken  before  granting  or rejecting any claim for caste certificate.      The High Court without appreciating the probative value of the  documents placed  before it  has dismissed  the writ petition filed  by the  appellant by  simply accept  so  the conclusions  reached  by  the  second-respondent  Committee. Undoubtedly, in  cases of this type, the burden heavily lies on the applicant who seeks such a certificate. That does not mean that  the authorities  have no  role to play in finding out the correctness or otherwise of the claim for issue of a caste certificate.  We are  of the  view that  the concerned authorities must also play a role in assisting the Committee to arrive  at a  correct decision.  In this case, except the documents  produced  by  the  appellant,  nothing  has  been produced  by   the  concerned  authorizes  to  arrive  at  a different conclusion.      On the  facts of this case, we are of the view that the second-respondent Committee  was not  right in rejecting the claim of  the appellant and for the same reason the order of the High  Court cannot  be sustained.  In  the  result,  the appeal succeeds  and is  allowed accordingly. However. there will be no order as to costs.