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PETITIONER: KUMARI MADHURI PATIL

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: ADDL. COMMISSIONER

DATE OF JUDGMENT02/09/1994

BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. BENCH: RAMASWAMY, K. VENKATACHALA N. (J)

CITATION:  1995 AIR   94            1994 SCC  (6) 241  JT 1994 (5)   488        1994 SCALE  (3)935

ACT:

HEADNOTE:

JUDGMENT: The Judgment of the Court was delivered by K.   RAMASWAMY, J.- Leave granted. 2.   The  appellants are Suchita and Madhuri,  daughters  of Laxman  Pandurang Patil.  Their grandfather  was  Panduranga Patil.  Laxman Patil was admitted in the school in the  year 1943.   In his school admission register and his school  and college  certificates his caste was shown as  ’Hindu  Koli’. Suchita had applied through her father, Laxman Patil to  the Tahsildar,  Andheri  on  30-11-1989 for  issuance  of  caste certificate  as ’Mahadeo Koli’ a Scheduled Tribe.  The  Sub- Divisional   Officer,  Bombay  Suburban  District   by   his proceeding   dated   22-6-1989  refused   to   issue   caste certificate  sought for by Ms Suchita and informed her  that she was not a Scheduled Tribe ’Mahadeo Koli’.  She filed  an appeal before the Additional Commissioner, Konkan  Division, Bombay.   As  she had applied for admission  into  the  MBBS course  and the time for her admission was running out,  she filed  Writ Petition No. 3516 of 1990 in the High  Court  to direct the Additional Commissioner to dispose of her  appeal and  to  further direct to the Dean of  D.YC.  Naik  Medical College to permit her to appear for interview and admit  her in  the college if she was found fit.  It is not in  dispute that she filed a  247 copy of the judgment in Subhash Ganpatrao Kabade v. State Of Maharashtra1, wherein ’Koli’ was held to be ’Mahadeo  Koli’, before  the  Additional Commissioner and also  in  the  High Court.  Because of the directions of the High Court she  was admitted  in  the  MBBS course and  she  is  continuing  her studies.  The Additional Commissioner directed the Tahsildar to  issue  the certificate and accordingly  issued  to  Miss Suchita  the certificate as Scheduled Tribe.   Miss  Suchita applied  to the Verification Committee for  confirmation  of her  status  as Scheduled Tribe.  Madhuri  applied  for  the issuance   of   Scheduled  Tribe  certificate   before   the

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Divisional  Executive Magistrate, Greater Bombay,  enclosing the order passed by the High Court in Writ Petition No. 3516 of  1990, dated 4-12-1990, in favour of her sister  Suchita, which  was  issued on 23-8-1990 declaring her status  to  be ’Mahadeo  Koli’ and then she got the admission into  BDS  in the year 1992.  Thereafter, she applied to the  Verification Committee   for   confirmation.   The  proceeding   by   the Verification Committee was jointly conducted into the claims of the appellants, initiated on 8-12-1989, the father of the appellants was called upon to furnish in the prescribed form the  detailed information regarding his  family  background, ancestry;  and  anthropology of  ’Mahadeo  Koli’,  Scheduled Tribe, to verify the veracity of his claim of status as ST. 3.   ’Mahadeo Koli’ was declared to be a Scheduled Tribe  by Bombay Province as early as 1933 and the President of  India declared in 1950 under Article 342, in consultation with the Government of Bombay (Maharashtra) and as amended from  time to  time.  Laxman submitted the particulars along  with  his school and college certificates, junior college  certificate and school certificates of the appellants, the  certificates of  his  sister  and  appellants’  maternal  aunt,  Jyotsana Pandurang   Patil   dated  3-3-1978   and   maternal   uncle Balakrishna Pandurang Naik dated 22-10-1954 and a  statement by  the  Caste Association.  The Committee  in  their  order dated 26-6-1992 considered the entire evidence placed before them,  the particulars furnished by their father in the  pro forma   on   their  ancestry   and   other   anthropological particulars and after hearing their counsel, found that  the appellants are ’Koli’ by caste which is recognised as  Other Backward Class, i.e., OBC in the State and that they are not ’Mahadeo Koli’, the Scheduled Tribe and their claim for that social  status  was  accordingly  declared  untenable.   The certificates issued by the respective Executive  Magistrates were cancelled and confiscated.  Their appeal provided under the  Rules too was heard by the Additional  Commissioner  in Caste Appeal No. 11 of 1992 who by an elaborate order  dated 30-4-1993  found  that the certificate issued in  favour  of Balakrishna  Pandurang  Naik,  maternal uncle,  was  from  a Magistrate, Greater Bombay, who had no jurisdiction and  was issued  social status certificate without  proper  scrutiny. The   certificate  issued  to  Jyotsana  by   the   Judicial Magistrate   was  on  the  basis  of  the   school   leaving certificate,  ration card etc. and that, therefore, it  does not provide any probative value to their status as Scheduled 1 WP No. 438 of 1985 248 Tribe, the entries in school and college certificates of the appellants are not conclusive. 4.It is obvious that Judicial Magistrate has no jurisdiction to  issue  caste certificate and it is a  void  certificate. The  entries in the school certificate of the father of  the appellants, Laxman Patil, being pre-independence period,  it bears "great probative value" wherein he declared himself to be ’Hindu Koli’ which is now recognised as a backward class. The caste affirmation certificate issued by the Samaj "Caste Association" consists of these very communities who seek  to get  the  status  as Scheduled Tribes.  It  also  does  not, therefore,  bear any probative value.   School  certificates and college certificates in favour of the appellants are the subject of enquiry, therefore,do notbear  any value  and independently their status is to be considered. 5.The  Committee  as  well as  the  Additional  Commissioner relied upon a reportof expert committee which had  gone into  the  sociology,  anthropology  and  ethnology  of  the Scheduled  Tribes including ’Mahadeo Koli’ which formed  the

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basis  for  the  pro forma  questionnaire  prepared  by  the Government and as given to and answered by the father of the appellants.   On the basis of the information  furnished  by the  father  of the appellants and the  anthropological  and ethnological   findings  in  that  behalf,  the   Additional Commissioner, in our view rightly, held that an argument  of social mobility and modernisation often alluringly put forth to  obviate  the need to pass the affinity test  is  only  a convenient  plea  to  get over the  crux  of  the  question. Despite the cultural advancement, the genetic traits pass on from  generation  to generation and no one could  escape  or forget or get them over.  The tribal customs are peculiar to each  tribe  or  tribal  communities  and  are  still  being maintained  and  preserved.  Their cultural  advancement  to some  extent  may have modernised and  progressed  but  they would not be oblivious to or ignorant of their customary and cultural past to establish their affinity to the  membership of a particular tribe.  The Mahadeo Koli, a Scheduled  Tribe declared in the Presidential Notification, 1950, itself is a tribe  and is not a sub-caste.  It is a hill tribe,  may  be like ’Koya’ in Andhra Pradesh.  Kolis, a backward class, are fishermen  by  caste  and profession and  reside  mostly  in Maharashtra coastal area.  Kolis have different  sub-castes. Mahadeo   Kolis   reside  in  hill   regions,   agriculture, agricultural  labour and gathering of minor  forest  produce and  sale  thereof  is  their  avocation.   Therefore,   the cancellation  of  the  social  certificate  issued  by   the Executive  Magistrates concerned by the  Scrutiny  Committee was legal. 6.   The  appellants’  Writ Petition No. 1849  of  1993  was dismissed by the Division Bench by its order dated 17-8-1993 with  brief reasons.  Shri Ganesh, the learned  counsel  for the appellants contended that in the affidavit filed by  the appellant’s father before the Verification Committee he  has explained the circumstances in which he came to be described as  Hindu  Koli.  Prior to 1950, there was no  necessity  to describe  sub-caste.  For the first time in 1976  under  the Scheduled  Castes  Scheduled Tribes (Amendment)  Act,  1976, Mahadeo  Koli  was introduced as a Scheduled  Tribe  in  the State  of  Maharashtra.   The  certificates  issued  to  the maternal uncle Balakrishna Naik  249 as Mahadeo Koli in the year 1954 and entries in his  service record  and  to  maternal aunt, Jyotsana in  the  year  1979 probabilise the omission to describe Laxman Patil as Mahadeo Koli, though they, as a fact, belong to Scheduled Tribe.  In the  school registers the appellants had enjoyed the  status as  Scheduled  Tribe which provides  probative  value.   The Committee,  the Additional Commissioner and the  High  Court had  not  appreciated  the evidence  in  proper  perspective before  declining  to  confirm  the  social  status  of  the appellants  as Scheduled Tribes and the High Court ought  to have  gone  into  these  aspects  as  was  done  in  Subhash Ganpatrao Kabade casel. it is further contended that Suchita has completed her final year course of study.  Madhuri is in midway  and  that,  therefore, justice  demands  that  their education  should not be dislocated with the denial  of  the social status as Scheduled Tribes.  The sheet-anchor for the counsel’s argument is the judgment of the Division Bench  of the Bombay High Court in Subhash Ganpatrao Kabade case’.  We find no force in the contentions. 7.   From the counter-affidavit filed by the State which has not  been disputed by filing any rejoinder and as  is  borne out from the public notification issued by the President  in the  year  1950 in exercise of the power under  Article  342

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read  with Article 366(25) of the Constitution that  Mahadeo Koli  is  declared as a Scheduled  Tribe.   Article  366(25) defines  Scheduled Tribes, as meaning such tribes or  tribal communities  or  parts of or groups within  such  tribes  or tribal  communities as are declared under Article 342 to  be Scheduled  Tribes  for  the purposes  of  the  Constitution. Article  342  gives power to the President  to  specify  the tribe  with respect to any State or Union  Territory,  after consultation  with  the  Governor where it is  a  State,  by public   notification,   specify  the   tribes   or   tribal communities  or parts of or groups within tribes  or  tribal communities   which   shall,  for  the   purposes   of   the Constitution,  be deemed to be Scheduled Tribes in  relation to that State or Union Territory, as the case may be. 8.   In Marri Chandra Shekhar Rao v. Dean, Seth G.S. Medical College2,  this Court declared that subject to the law  made by  Parliament  under sub-section (2) of  Section  342,  the tribes  or tribal communities or parts of or  groups  within tribes or tribal communities specified by the President by a public  notification shall be final for the purpose  of  the Constitution.  They are the tribes in relation to that State or  Union Territory and that any tribe or tribes  or  tribal communities  or  parts  of or groups within  such  tribe  or tribal  communities,  not specified therein in  relation  to that State, shall not be Scheduled Tribes for the purpose of the Constitution.  The father of one Chandra Shekhar Rao who hailed from Tenali in Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh is a Settibalija  by  caste  which is recognised  as  a  backward class.    His  father  obtained  a  certificate   from   the Tahsildar,  Tenali that he belonged to Scheduled  Tribe  and had  got an appointment in a public undertaking  of  Bombay. On  the basis of social status certificate obtained  by  his father  and  entries  in service record of  his  father,  he applied for admission into medical 2 (1990) 3 SCC 130: (1990) 14 ATC 671 250 college  as Scheduled Tribe.  When he was not  admitted,  he filed  the  writ  petition in this Court  under  Article  32 seeking  a  declaration  that  Settibalija  though  was  not declared  to  be  Scheduled Tribe in Maharashtra  it  was  a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of the Constitution and that he was entitled to the admission into the medical college on the  basis of his social status as a Scheduled Tribe.   This Court  did not uphold the contention.  This Court held  that the declaration by the President by a public notification in relation  to  a State in consultation with the  Governor  of that  State  is  conclusive and court  cannot  give  such  a declaration.   The  same  view  was  reiterated  by  another Constitution  Bench  in Action Committee on issue  of  Caste Certificate  to SCs and STs in the State of  Maharashtra  v. Union of India3. 9.   The Preamble to the Constitution promises to secure  to every  citizen  social  and economic  justice,  equality  of status  and  of  opportunity assuring  the  dignity  of  the individual.    The  Scheduled  Tribes  are  inhabitants   of intractable  terrain regions of the country kept  away  from the  mainstream of national life and with their  traditional moorings  and  customary  beliefs and  practices,  they  are largely  governed  by their own customary  code  of  conduct regulated  from  time to time with their own  rich  cultural heritage,   mode  of  worship  and  cultural   ethos.    The Constitution  guarantees  to  them,  who  are  also   Indian citizens,  equality before law and the equal  protection  of law.   Though Articles 14 and 15(1) prohibit  discrimination among  citizens on certain grounds, Article  15(4)  empowers

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the  State  to make special provisions  for  advancement  of Scheduled  Castes  and  Scheduled  Tribes.   Article   16(1) requires equality of opportunity to all citizens in  matters of appointments to an office or a post under the Union or  a State  Government or public undertakings etc.   But  Article 16(4)  empowers the State to make provision for  reservation of  appointments or posts in favour of classes  of  citizens not adequately represented in the services under the  State. Article 46 enjoins the State by mandatory language  employed therein,  to  promote with special care the  educational  or economic  interest  of the Scheduled  Tribes  and  Scheduled Castes and to protect them from "social injustice" and  "all forms  of  exploitation".   Article  51-A(h)  enjoins  every citizen  to  develop  scientific temper,  humanism  and  the spirit  of  inquiry  and  reform.   Again  Article   51-A(h) requires  every citizen to strive towards excellence in  all spheres  of individual and collective activity so  that  the nation  constantly rises to higher levels of  endeavour  and achievement.  It is, therefore, a fundamental duty of  every citizen to develop scientific temper and humanism and spirit of inquiry to reform himself in his onward thrust or  strive to  achieve  excellence  in all spheres  of  individual  and collective  activity.   Since  the Scheduled  Tribes  are  a nomadic  class  of citizens whose  habitat  being  generally hilly regions or forests, results in their staying away from the  mainstream of the national life.  Therefore, the  State is enjoined under our Constitution to provide facilities and opportunities  for development of their  scientific  temper, educational  advancement  and economic improvement  so  that they may achieve 3 (1994) 5 SCC 244  251 excellence,  equality  of  status  and  live  with  dignity. Reservation  in  admission to educational  institutions  and employment are major State policies to accord to the tribes, social  and  economic  justice  apart  from  other  economic measures.  Hence, the tribes, by reason of State’s policy of reservation,   have  been  given  the  exclusive  right   to admission  into educational institutions or exclusive  right to  employment to an office or post under the State etc.  to the earmarked quota.  For availment of such exclusive rights by  citizens  belonging  to  tribes,  the  President  by   a notification  specified  the  Scheduled  Tribes  or   tribal communities  or  parts  of or groups  of  tribes  or  tribal communities so as to entitle them to avail of such exclusive rights.  The Union of India and the State  Governments  have prescribed  the  procedure  and  have  entrusted  duty   and responsibility  to  Revenue Officers of  gazetted  cadre  to issue social status certificate, after due verification.  It is  common  knowledge  that endeavour of  States  to  fulfil constitutional mandate of upliftment of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled  Tribes by providing for reservation of  seats  in educational  institutions and for reservation of  posts  and appointments,   are   sought  to  be  denied  to   them   by unscrupulous persons who come forward to obtain the  benefit of  such reservations posing themselves as persons  entitled to such status while in fact disentitled to such status. The case  in  hand is a clear instance  of  such  pseudo-status. Kolis  have  been  declared  to  be  OBC  in  the  State  of Maharashtra  being  fishermen, in that  their  avocation  is fishing  and  they  live mainly in  the  coastal  region  of Maharashtra.  Mahadeo Kolis are hill tribes and it is not  a sub-caste.  Even  prior  to  independence,  the  Maharashtra Government  declared  Mahadeo Koli to be criminal  tribe  as early  as 29-5-1933 in Serial No. 15 in List II thereof.  In

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1942 Resolution in Serial No. 15 in Schedule B of the Bombay resolution  Mahadeo Koli tribe was notified as  a  Scheduled Tribe.  It  was  later  amended as Serial  No.  13.  In  the Presidential Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Order,  1950, it  was reiterated. A slight modification was made  in  that behalf by the Presidential Notification dated 29-10-1956. In the  1976  Amendment  Act, there is  no  substantial  change except  removing the area restriction. Thus Mahadeo Koli,  a Scheduled Tribe continued to be a Scheduled Tribe even after independence. The Presidential Notification, 1950 also  does recognise   by  public  notification  of  their  status   as Scheduled  Tribes. The assumption of the Division  Bench  of the  Bombay  High Court in Subhash Ganpatrao  Kabade  case’, that Mahadeo Koli was recognised for the first time in  1976 under     Amendment  Act,  1976, as Scheduled Tribe  is  not relatable  to  reality  and  an  erroneous  assumption  made without any attempt to investigate the truth in that behalf. Presidential declaration, subject to amendment by Parliament being  conclusive,  no  addition to  it  or  declaration  of castes/tribes or sub-castes/parts of or groups of tribes  or tribal communities is permissible. 10.  The  entries  in the   school  register  preceding  the Constitution  do  furnish  great  probative  value  to   the declaration  of  the status of a caste.  Hierarchical  caste stratification  of Hindu social order has its reflection  in all  entries in the public records.  What would,  therefore, depict  the  caste  status of the people  inclusive  of  the school or college records, as the then census rules 252 insisted upon.  Undoubtedly, Hindu social order is based  on hierarchy  and  caste  was one of  the  predominant  factors during  pre-Constitution period.  Unfortunately  instead  of dissipating   its   incursion   it   is   being   needlessly accentuated,   perpetrated  and  stratification   is   given legitimacy for selfish ends instead of being discouraged and put an end to by all measures, including administrative and legislative.   Be  it as it may, people  are  identified  by their castes for one or the other is a reality.   Therefore, it is no wonder that caste is reflected in relevant  entries in  the  public  records  or  school  or  college  admission register  at  the  relevant time and  the  certificates  are issued on its basis. The father of the appellants admittedly described himself in 1943 and thereafter as a Hindu Koli. In other  words  his status was declared a Koli  by  caste  and Hindu  by religion. Kolis are admittedly OBCs.  His  feigned ignorance  of  the  ancestry is too  hard  to  believe.  The averment  in the affidavit that the entries were  mistakenly made   as  Hindu  Koli  is  an  obvious  afterthought.   The anthropological moorings and ethnological kinshipaffirmity (sic)  gets  genetically ingrained in the blood and  no  one would  shake  off  from past, in  particular,  when  one  is conscious  of the need of preserving its relevance  to  seek the status of Scheduled Tribe or Scheduled Caste  recognised by the Constitution for their upliftment in the society. The ingrained   tribal  traits  peculiar  to  each   tribe   and anthropological  features all the more become relevant  when the  social  status  is in acute  controversy  and  needs  a decision. The correct projectives furnished in pro forma and the  material would lend credence and give an  assurance  to properly  consider the claims of the social status  and  the officer  or authority concerned would get an opportunity  to test  the  claim for social status of  particular  caste  or tribe  or tribal community or group or part of  such  caste, tribe   or  tribal  community.  It  or  he  would  reach   a satisfactory  conclusion on the claimed social  status.  The

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father  of the appellant has failed to satisfy  the  crucial affinity  test  which is relevant and germane  one.  On  the other  hand the entries in his school and college  registers as  Hindu  Koli positively belies the claim  of  his  social status as Scheduled Tribe. 11.It  is  seen  that admittedly the  appellants  reside  in Muland   area.   In  the  first  instance  Suchita   rightly approached the Tahsildar having jurisdiction  over the area concerned who refused to give her social status  certificate as  Mahadeo  Koli, she filed an appeal and  the  High  Court directed  the Deputy Commissioner to dispose of  the  appeal who  in  turn  without  deciding  the  facts,  directed  the Tahsildar  to  issue the certificate. In the  meanwhile  she had, by orders of the court, got admission into the  college and  pursued  her  study.  The  Caste  Certificate  Scrutiny Committee, consists of the Secretary as   Chairman and  two members,  and  a  Research  Officer-cum-Director  who   have intimate  knowledge in the identification of  the  specified tribes, considered  the  entire material. The Committee  has stated  and as is seen that the appellant’s  father  clearly accepted that his caste is recorded in the college as  well as secondary school and college records as Hindu Koli  only. This fact is strengthened by the candidate’s father’s school record  (document  at  Serial No. 1).  In  the  new  English School locality at Thane, the name of the  253 candidate’s  father  appeared in the admission  register  at Serial No. 3733, and the caste clearly shown there was as H. Koli.  This school record, comparatively, is not only oldest but  it being the record pertaining to candidate’s  father’s admission  to  school  prior  to  independence,  it  carries greatest  probative  evidentiary  value, The  caste  of  the person, as stated earlier, is determined on the basis of the caste  of their parents, basically for the reasons that  the caste  is acquired by birth.  When the school record of  the candidate’s  father shows his caste as Koli,  the  documents which  the  candidates have produced  (documents  quoted  at Serial Nos. 3, 5 to 8, 11, 13 to 16) showing their caste  as Mahadeo  Koli  cannot be relied upon.  All  these  documents furnished  by  the  candidates  are  those  manipulated  and fabricated  with  to  knock  of  the  seats  in  educational institutions  defrauding the true Scheduled Tribes to  their detriment  and  deprivation.  As the school  record  of  the candidate’s  father  shows his caste as  ’Koli’,  the  caste certificates  which have been issued to the  appellants  and their relatives by the Executive Magistrate, Greater  Bombay (documents  at Serial Nos. 9, 10, 12, 17 to 19) are  without proper  enquiry  and investigation,  besides  being  without jurisdiction.   Its reiteration in service record would  not carry  any  credibility or a ground to accept the  caste  as Scheduled  Tribe.   The caste certificate  issued  by  Samaj being  self-serving and subject to scrutiny, they cannot  be held  to be conclusive proof to determine the  caste  claim. The   finding  recorded  by  the  Committee  is   based   on consideration   of   the  entire  material   together   with sociological, anthropological and ethnological  perspectives which  Mahadeo  Kolis enjoy and of the OBC castes  and  sub- caste  of the Kolis.  The Additional Commissioner  as  well, has  minutely gone into all the material details  and  found that  when a section of the society have  started  asserting themselves  as  tribes and try to earn  the  concession  and facilities reserved for the Scheduled Tribes, the tricks are common  and  that, therefore, must be judged  on  legal  and ethnological basis.  Spurious tribes have become a threat to the  genuine  tribals  and the present  case  is  a  typical

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example  of  reservation of benefits given  to  the  genuine claimants  being  snatched  away  by  spurious  tribes.   On consideration  of the evidence, as stated earlier, both  the Committee  and the appellate authority found as a fact  that the appellants are not tribe ’Mahadeo Koli’ entitled to  the constitutional benefits.  In Subhash Ganpatrao Kabade case’, the approach of the Division Bench of the High Court appears to be legalistic in the traditional mould totally  oblivious of  the  anthropological and ethnological  perspectives  and recorded  their findings with unwarranted strictures on  the approach  rightly adopted by the Scrutiny Committee and  the Additional   Commissioner   to   be   ’(funny)’   "obviously incorrect" and "queer reasoning".  Admittedly the petitioner therein,  in  days  preceding  the  Constitution,  described himself  in  the  service book as  well  as  school  leaving certificate as a Hindu Koli.  The High Court also found that they  were  backward class but proceeded  on  the  erroneous footing that Mahadeo Koli was introduced for the first  time through  1976 Amendment  Act and that, therefore, they  were the genuine Scheduled Tribes entitled to 254 the benefits.  In view of the above, we cannot help  holding that the reasoning of the High Court is wholly perverse  and untenable. 12.  We  have  seen  that  Scrutiny  Committee   proceedings although started on 8-12-1989 were prolonged till 26-6-1992. We do not have record to scan the reasons for the delay.  It would appear that the constitution of a Committee with large number  of  members  and Secretary  as  Chairman  must  have greatly contributed for the delay in deciding the claims for the  social status.  A right of appeal  provided  thereafter compounded further delay though the Additional  Commissioner on  the facts of this case has disposed of the  appeal  very expeditiously.   However, all of them are  the  contributory factors for the delay. 13.  The  admission  wrongly gained or  appointment  wrongly obtained  on  the basis of false social  status  certificate necessarily   has  the  effect  of  depriving  the   genuine Scheduled  Castes or Scheduled Tribes or OBC  candidates  as enjoined  in the Constitution of the benefits  conferred  on them  by the Constitution.  The genuine candidates are  also denied admission to educational institutions or appointments to  office or posts under a State for want of social  status certificate.  The ineligible or spurious persons who falsely gained  entry resort to dilatory tactics and create  hurdles in  completion of the inquiries by the  Scrutiny  Committee. It   is  true  that  the  applications  for   admission   to educational  institutions  are generally made by  a  parent, since  on that date many a time the student may be a  minor. It is the parent or the guardian who may play fraud claiming false status certificate.  It is, therefore, necessary  that the certificates issued are scrutinised at the earliest  and with  utmost expedition and promptitude.  For that  purpose, it is necessary to streamline the procedure for the issuance of  social  status certificates, their  scrutiny  and  their approval, which may be the following:               1.    The  application  for  grant  of  social               status  certificate  shall  be  made  to   the               Revenue  Sub-Divisional  Officer  and   Deputy               Collector  or  Deputy  Commissioner  and   the               certificate  shall be issued by  such  officer               rather  than at the Officer, Taluk  or  Mandal               level.               2.    The  parent, guardian or the  candidate,               as  the case may be, shall file  an  affidavit

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             duly   sworn  and  attested  by  a   competent               gazetted officer or non-gazetted officer  with               particulars  of castes and sub-castes,  tribe,               tribal community, parts or groups of tribes or               tribal  communities, the place from  which  he               originally hails from and other particulars as               may   be   prescribed   by   the   Directorate               concerned.               3.    Application  for  verification  of   the               caste  certificate by the  Scrutiny  Committee               shall be filed at least six months in  advance               before  seeking  admission  into   educational               institution or an appointment to a post.               4.    All   the   State   Governments    shall               constitute  a  Committee  of  three  officers,               namely,  (1) an Additional or Joint  Secretary               or any officer higher in rank of the  Director               of   the   department  concerned,   (11)   the               Director,        Social         Welfare/Tribal               Welfare/Backward  Class Welfare, as  the  case               may  be,  and (III) in the case  of  Scheduled               Castes another officer who has                255               intimate  knowledge  in the  verification  and               issuance  of the social  status  certificates.               In  the  case  of the  Scheduled  Tribes,  the               Research Officer who has intimate knowledge in               identifying  the tribes,  tribal  communities,               parts  of  or  groups  of  tribes  or   tribal               communities.               5.    Each  Directorate  should  constitute  a               vigilance  cell  consisting of  Senior  Deputy               Superintendent  of Police in  over-all  charge               and  such  number  of  Police  Inspectors   to               investigate  into  the social  status  claims.               The  Inspector would go to the local place  of               residence  and original place from  which  the               candidate hails and usually resides or in case               of  migration to the town or city,  the  place               from  which  he originally hailed  from.   The               vigilance officer should personally verify and               collect  all  the facts of the  social  status               claimed  by  the candidate or  the  parent  or               guardian, as the case may be.  He should  also               examine    the    school    records,     birth               registration, if any.  He should also  examine               the  parent,  guardian  or  the  candidate  in               relation  to  their caste etc. or  such  other               persons  who  have  knowledge  of  the  social               status  of  the candidate and  then  submit  a               report  to the Directorate together  with  all               particulars as envisaged in the pro forma,  in               particular,  of the Scheduled Tribes  relating               to   their   peculiar   anthropological    and               ethnological traits, deity, rituals,  customs,               mode of marriage, death ceremonies, method  of               burial  of dead bodies etc. by the  castes  or               tribes or tribal communities concerned etc.               6.    The  Director concerned, on  receipt  of               the  report from the vigilance officer  if  he               found  the claim for social status to be  "not               genuine" or ’doubtful’ or spurious or  falsely               or  wrongly  claimed, the  Director  concerned               should  issue  show-cause notice  supplying  a               copy of the report of the vigilance officer to

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             the  candidate  by  a  registered  post   with               acknowledgement due or through the head of the               educational institution concerned in which the               candidate is studying or employed.  The notice               should  indicate  that the  representation  or               reply, if any, would be made within two  weeks               from the date of the receipt of the notice and               in  no case on request not more than  30  days               from  the date of the receipt of  the  notice.               In   case,   the  candidate   seeks   for   an               opportunity  of hearing and claims an  inquiry               to  be  made in that behalf, the  Director  on               receipt  of  such  representation/reply  shall               convene the committee and the Joint/Additional               Secretary   as  Chairperson  who  shall   give               reasonable       opportunity      to       the               candidate/parent/guardian   to   adduce    all               evidence in support of their claim.  A  public               notice by beat of drum or any other convenient               mode  may  be  published  in  the  village  or               locality  and if any   person  or  association               opposes such a claim, an opportunity to adduce               evidence may be given to him/it.  After giving               such  opportunity either in person or  through               counsel,  the Committee may make such  inquiry               as it deems expedient and consider the  claims               vis-a-vis   the  objections  raised   by   the               candidate or opponent and pass an  appropriate                             order with brief reasons in support thereof.                7.  In  case the report is in favour  of  the               candidate and found to be genuine and true, no               further action need be taken except where  the               report               256               or the particulars given are procured or found               to  be false or fraudulently obtained  and  in               the  latter  event the same  procedure  as  is               envisaged in para 6 be followed.               8.    Notice contemplated in para 6 should  be               issued  to the parents/guardian also  in  case               candidate  is  minor  to  appear  before   the               Committee  with all evidence in his  or  their               support  of  the claim for the  social  status               certificates.               9.    The  inquiry  should  be  completed   as               expeditiously   as  possible   preferably   by               day-to-day proceedings within such period  not               exceeding  two months.  If after inquiry,  the               Caste Scrutiny Committee finds the claim to be               false  or spurious, they should pass an  order               cancelling   the   certificate   issued    and               confiscate  the same.  It  should  communicate               within   one  month  from  the  date  of   the               conclusion  of the proceedings the  result  of               enquiry   to  the  parent/guardian   and   the               applicant.               10.   In  case of any delay in finalising  the               proceedings,  and  in the meanwhile  the  last               date   for  admission  into   an   educational               institution or appointment to an officer post,               is getting expired, the candidate be  admitted               by  the  Principal  or  such  other  authority               competent  in that behalf or appointed on  the               basis of the social status certificate already               issued  or  an  affidavit duly  sworn  by  the

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             parent/guardian/candidate before the competent               officer or non-official and such admission  or               appointment   should  be   only   provisional,               subject  to the result of the inquiry  by  the               Scrutiny Committee.               11.   The order passed by the Committee  shall               be  final and conclusive only subject  to  the               proceedings   under   Article   226   of   the               Constitution.               12.  No suit or other proceedings  before  any               other authority should lie.               13.  The  High Court would  dispose  of  these               cases  as expeditiously as possible  within  a               period  of three months. In case, as  per  its               procedure,  the  writ   petition/miscellaneous               petition/matter  is  disposed of by  a  Single               Judge,  then  no  further  appeal  would   lie               against  that order to the Division Bench  but               subject to special leave under Article 136.               14.  In  case,  the  certificate  obtained  or               social  status claimed is found to  be  false,               the  parent/guardian/the candidate  should  be               prosecuted  for  making false  claim.  If  the               prosecution ends in a conviction and  sentence               of  the  accused, it could be regarded  as  an               offence     involving     moral     turpitude,               disqualification for elective posts or offices               under  the State or the Union or elections  to               any local body, legislature or Parliament.                15. As soon as the finding is recorded by the               Scrutiny    Committee   holding    that    the               certificate   obtained  was  false,   on   its               cancellation and confiscation  simultaneously,               it  should be communicated to the  educational               institution   concerned  or   the   appointing               authority    by    registered    post     with               acknowledgement  due with a request to  cancel               the   admission   or  the   appointment.   The               Principal etc. of the educational  institution               responsible  for making the admission  or  the               appointing                257               authority,       should       cancel       the               admission/appointment   without  any   further               notice   to  the  candidate  and   debar   the               candidate  from further study or  continue  in               office in a post. 14.  Since this procedure could be fair and just and shorten the  undue delay and also prevent avoidable expenditure  for the    State   on   the   education   of    the    candidate admitted/appointed   on  false  social  status  or   further continuance therein, every State concerned should  endeavour to  give  effect  to  it and  see  that  the  constitutional objectives  intended for the benefit and advancement of  the genuine   Scheduled  Castes/Scheduled  Tribes  or   backward classes,  as   the   case  may  be  are  not   defeated   by unscrupulous persons. 15.  The  question then is whether the approach  adopted  by the High Court in   not elaborately considering the case  is vitiated  by an error of law. High Court is not a  court  of appeal  to appreciate the evidence.  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

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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 record the finding.  Each case must be considered in the backdrop of its own facts. 16.  Whether  appellants  are  entitled  to  their   further continuance  in the studies is the further question.   Often the  plea  of equities or promissory estoppel would  be  put forth  for continuance and completion of further  course  of studies  and usually would be found favour with the  courts. The  courts have constitutional duty and responsibility,  in exercise  of the power of its judicial review, to  see  that constitutional   goals  set  down  in  the   Preamble,   the Fundamental  Rights  and  the Directive  Principles  of  the Constitution, are achieved.  A party that seeks equity, must come with clean hands.  He who comes to the court with false claim, cannot plead equity nor the court would be  justified to exercise equity jurisdiction in his favour.  There is  no estoppel  as no promise of the social status is made by  the State when a false plea was put forth for the social  status recognised and declared by the Presidential Order under  the Constitution  as  amended by the SC &  ST  (Amendment)  Act, 1976, which is later found to be false.  Therefore, the plea of promissory estoppel or equity have no application.   When it  is found to be a case of fraud played by the  concerned, no  sympathy  and equitable considerations can come  to  his rescue.   Nor  the  plea  of  estoppel  is  germane  to  the beneficial  constitutional  concessions  and   opportunities given  to  the genuine tribes or castes.   Courts  would  be circumspect and vary in considering such cases. 17.  We  have  seen  that  Miss  Suchita  rightly  made   an application  before  the  competent  officer  within   whose jurisdiction her father lives in Muland and when he  refused to give the certificate, she filed an appeal; approached the High Court and obtained direction and gained admission.   It is not in 258 dispute that the Additional Commissioner was delaying it; he did  not  decide  as directed by  the  High  Court,  instead directed  the Tahsildar to issue the certificate.  Thus  she secured a false social status certificate and orders of  the court were used to gain admission.  The judicial process  is made use of to secure admission.  She continued her  studies thereafter  pending scrutiny of her status certificate.   No doubt  there  was  a  delay on  the  part  of  the  Scrutiny Committee  in the disposal of the claims and we do not  find any  record to scan the reasons for the delay.   Suffice  to state that her parents have put her under a cloud as to  her social  status.   But  as seen from the facts  a  course  of conduct was adopted by her parents to gain admission on  the claim  which is now found to be false.  Parents’  misconduct visits the children also many a times.  However, she has now completed the course of study except to appear for the final year as contended for her and nothing more is to be done  in the  situation for her to complete her course of study.   We direct the Principal to permit her to sit for the final year examination,  if  she has completed the course of  study  as represented  to  us  but not with the  social  status  as  a Scheduled Tribe which was claimed fraudulently and made  her admission with the aid of the court’s order and continue her studies.  The delay in disposal facilitated her  continuance in study of MBBS course.

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18.  The delay in the process is inevitable but that  factor should neither be considered to be relevant nor be an aid to complete the course of study.  But for the fact that she has completed  the entire course except to appear for the  final examination,  we  would  have directed  to  debar  her  from prosecuting  the studies and appearing in  the  examination. In this factual situation no useful purpose would be  served to  debar  her from appearing for the examination  of  final year  MBBS.   Therefore, we uphold the cancellation  of  the social  status as Mahadeo Koli fraudulently obtained  by  Km Suchita  Laxman Patil, but she be allowed to appear for  the final  year  examination  of MBBS  course.   She  will  not, however be entitled in future for any benefits on the  basis of  the fraudulent social status as Mahadeo Koli.   However, this direction should not be treated and used as a precedent in  future  cases to give any similar directions  since  the same defeats constitutional goals. 19.  In  the  case  of Madhuri Laxman  Patil,  she  did  not approach the competent officer.  She appears to have wrongly gone  to an officer who had no jurisdiction,  obviously  she has  shown the order issued by the High Court in  favour  of her  sister Suchita and secured the certificate and got  the admission.   Though she is in midway of her study in BDS  in the end of second year, she cannot continue her studies with her social status as Mahadeo Koli, a Scheduled Tribe and the concessions  which she might have got on that  account.   If she  was  eligible  for obtaining  admission  as  a  general candidate  she  may  continue her  studies.   Therefore,  we uphold  the  cancellation  and confiscation of  her  and  of Suchita of social status as Mahadeo Koli ordered by Scrutiny Committee  and affirmed by the order of Appellate  Authority and  that of the High Court in that behalf.  Subject to  the above  modifications,  the appeal is dismissed  but  without costs. 259