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PETITIONER: THE DIRECTOR OF TRIBAL WELFARE

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: LAVETI GIRI & ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT:       10/03/1997

BENCH: K. RAMASWAMY, G.T. NANAVATI

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT:                          O R D E R      In Kumar  Madhuri Patil  v. Addl.  Commissioner, Tribal Development[(1964)  6SCC   241],  this   Court  had   issued guidelines for  the officers  to issue caste certificates to the scheduled Castes and scheduled Tribes for the purpose of admission to educational institutions and also employment to a post  or office  under the state. When the similar matter, viz, Director of Tribal Welfare, Government of A.P v. Laveti Giri &  Anr. [(1995)4  sec 32] had come up before the Court, thie  court   reiterated  the   guidelines  in  paragraph  7 indicating  the   manner  in  which  the  applications  were required to  be disposed  of. In  paragraph 8,  also it  was indicated that  the Government  of India  would come forward with   uniform    legislation   and   necessary   guidelines prescribing penal  action against  persons who  violate such guidelines or  obtain false  caste certificates,  which is a fraud on  the constitution  and  defeat  the  constitutional objectives.      The Andhra  Pradesh State  Legislature has  enacted the Andhra  Pradesh(   scheduled  Castes  Scheduled  Tribes  and Backward  Classes)   Regulation  of   Issue  of   Community- Certificates Act,  1993 (16  of 1993) (for short, the ’Act’) which came  into force with effect from september8,1993. The above Act  came to be made pursuant to a direction issued by the Andhra  Pradesh High Court. The Act regulates isuance of community certificates  to the  Scheduled Castes,  Scheduled Tribes and  Backward Classes  (for  short,  the  ’Dalits’  , ’Tribes’ and  ’OBC’). Section  3  prescribes  procedure  for making  application.   Section  4   prescribes     competent authority to  issue such certificataes, section 5 prescribes procedure  for  canceellation  of  the  false  certificates. Section 6 lays the burden of proof of status of caste on the claimant. Section 7 provides for right of appeal and review. Section 8  gives power  of revision to the Government in the prescribed manner.Section  9 gives  power to  the  competent authority to avail the appropriate provisions in C.P.C while conducting the  enquiry. Sections  10 to  16 deal  with  the penalties,  offences   and  also  the  trial  and  cosequent punishment etc.  thereoof . Section 17 bars the jurisdiction of the  Civil Court to take cognizance of the matters coming

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under the  Act or  the power  to issue any injuction in that respection. Section 18 prorects the officers who act in good faith. Section 19 gives overriding power over other laws and section  20  gives  the  rule  making  power  to  the  state Government.      The petitioner  has filed  the present  application for directions  or   clarifications,  since,  according  to  the petitioner,  the  guidelines  issued  by  this  court    are required to  be worked out within the framework of the above Act .  Accordingly, by  order dated  August 20,  1996,  this Court  directed   the  state  Goverment  to  make  rules  in conformity with  the Act  and the  guidelines issued by this Court ,  as far  as  possible,  they  need  to  be  in  line therewith. If  they are  not in conformity , then the matter can be  looked into  after the  rules are  made part  of the record. In  frutherance thereof,  the A.P  Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes  and Backword  classes Rules  for Issue  of Community Certificates,  1997 (Draft  Rules) have been made. Rules 1  to19 deal  with the  manner, method and issuance of the  certificates,   cancellation  of   false  certificates, cancellation   of    false   certificates,   procedure   for verification, burden  of proof  of the  claims, scrutiny and review by  the committees.  Rules 7  and 8  are relevant for this purpose .      Rule 7 provides for constitution of Scrutiny and Review Committee at  the State level and Rule 8 deals with Scrutiny Committee at the District Level.      They are as under:      "7. Scrutiny and Review Committee (state level):      A Scrutiny and Review Committee shall be constituted at the  stated level with the following officers: a).1) Principal secretary to Government         -- Chairman 2)    Commissioner, social Welfare              -- Member 3)    Commissioner, Tribal welfare              -- Member 4)    Commissioner,       Welfare of Backward Classes               -- Member 5)    Inspector General of police,        C.B.C.I.D.(P.C.R & Vigilance Cell)      -- Member 6)   Additional Secretary / Joint Secretary/      Deputy Secretary to the Government social welfare      Department                              - Member b).  This Scrutiny and Review Committee shall meet once in there months or as often, depending on the necessity. c).  Presence of three members will form the required quorum      for the meeting of the Committee. d).  This Committee shall review and monitor the functioning      of   the    Scrutiny   Committees   at   the   District      level(constituted  under   Rule  8),  it  shall  render      necessary advice  to the  Government on  various policy      decisions to  be taken  for streamlining the procedures      or on  any other  issues  related  to  the  issuing  of      Community Certificates as Per Act 16 Of 1993. e).  The Committee  may also  render necessary  guidance and      advice to the Government on cases referred to it, where      divergent and  conflicting enquiry reports are received      by the Government, in respect of the community claims. 8.   SCRUTINY COMMITTEE (DISTRICT LEVEL) a).  In  every  District,  a  Scrutiny  Committee  shall  be      constituted with the following officers:-      1. Joint collector                   -- Chairman      2. District Revenue Officer            -- Member                                               (Convenor)      3. Deputy Director                    -- Member       (social Welfare)      Deputy Director

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    (Tribal Welfare)/ District Tribal      Welfare officer.      Deputy Director                      -- Member      (Backward Classes welfare)/      District Backward Classes      Welfare officer      4. Officer of the Research         -- Member      Organisation in the      Commissionerate of SW/TW      nominated by the concerned      Heads of the Department.      5.   Officer representing the PCR/  -- Member      Vigilance Cell in the District (b)  The Scrutiny Committee shall meet at least once in a month or as often, depending the case referred to it. (c)  Presence of three members will from the required quorum for the meeting of the committee. (d) (1)  The Scrutiny  Committee, on  receipt of  the  cases referred to  it by  the Competent Authority under Rule 5(i), shall conduct  enquiry regarding  the  doubtful  within  the period specified  in the  notice. This  period should not be less than 15  (fifteen) days from the date of service of the notice on  the   applicant and  in no case, on request, more than 30  (thirty) days  should be allowed. This notice shall be served  on the  applicant through the Competent Authority who referred the case to the committee. (2)  The notice  referred to  in Form - V shall be served on the parent/guardian in case the applicant is a minor. (3)  Where the  person on  whom a notice in Form-V is served by the  scrutiny Committee  fails to  respond   on the  data mentioned in the notice, the Scrutiny Committee May finalise its recommendations based on the material/documents/evidence made available to the Committee by the Competent Authority. (4)  The Scrutiny  Committee shall  cause enquiry, following the due  process  of  law,  to  verify  the  genuineness  or otherwise of the information furnished or recorded from such persons as  called in  enquiry as  per Form V. It shall also cause to  collect documentary evidence/ or any other related evidence  about   the  correctness   or  otherwise   of  the information furnished  or objections  raised by  any  person during the enquiry. (5)  The Scrutiny  Committee may examine the school records, birth registration  certificates, if  any, furnished  by the persons during  the enquiry.  It may  also examine any other person who  may have  knowledge  of  the  community  of  the applicant .  With  reference  to  the  claims  of  Scheduled Tribes, it  may examine the anthripolotical and ethnological traits, deity,  rituals, customs,  mode of  marriage,  death ceremonies/method of  burial of  dead bodies  etc., of  that particular tribe,  to finalise  its recommendations  to  the Competent Authority. (6)  The   Scrutiny   Committee   should   give   reasonable opportunity to  the applicate to produce evidence in support of their  claim. A  public notice by the beat of drum or any other convenient  mode, may  be published  in the village or locality of  the applicant and if any person or association, opposes such a claim, opportunity produce evidence in person before the  committee may  be given  to him  or  her.  After giving such  an opportunity  to that  person, the  Committee may made such enquiry as it deems expedient and finalise its recommendations, with  brief reasons  in support thereof, to the Competent Authority. (7)  The  Scrutiny  Committee  may  examine  the  report  of enquiry conducted  by the Revenue Department furnished to it by the  Competent  Authority.  it  may  also  obtain  expert

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opinion  from  the  Commissionerate  if  SW/TW  through  the officers   of    the   Research   organisations   of   these Commissionerates  who   are  the  members  of  the  Scrutiny Committee, if deemed necessary. These enquiry reports may be compared and  then recommendations of the Scrutiny Committee may be  finalised as  to whether the community claim of that applicant is found to be false or genuine. e)   The Chairman  of the  Scrutiny Committee  claim of  the person in  question or  his or  her children,  is genuine or false with  reasons thereof, within 45 days from the date of the receipt  of the  case referred  to it  by the  Competent Authority."      Provisions have  ben made  for appeals  and review etc. Rule 15  Prescribes action in case of false claims. Validity of Integrated  Community Certificate  has been dealt with in Rule 16.  In case  of loss of the original, Rule 17 empowers the officers  to issue  duplicate caste certificate. Rule 19 deals with  Provisional admission or appointment pending the issuance of  the caste  certificates. Rule  20  repeals  the existing  Rules.   Rule  21  saves  the  action  taken  etc. Schedules have been appended to supplement the rules.      A reading  of the Rules would indicate that except some variation, in  the matter of the constitution of Committees, in Rules  7 &  6  from  the  guidelines  issued,  all  other provisions are  in conformity  with the guidelines issued by this court.      Though Shri  Rao seeds  to contend  that notice  may be issued to the central Government and other state Governments to make  rules on  par with  above for  finalisation of  the rules so  as to   be  uniformly  applicable  throughout  the country, we think that we need not undertake such exercises. It would be for the Central Government to appropriately deal with the  matter  by  giving  some  leverage  to  the  State Government to  modulate the  rules conformable  to the above law and  the guidelines,  as far  as possible,  to suit  the conditions prevailing   the  state concerned  so  that  they could  be  worked  out  in  systematic  manner  without  any difficulty in implementation.      Under the  circumstances, we  are of  the view that the draft rules  placed before  us are substantially conformable to the  directions issued  by this  Court .  We,  therefore, direct the  State Government  to have  them published in the State Gazette and enforce the Act and the Rules in the light of the law laid down by this Court.      The application is accordingly ordered.