Sunil Parasram Deshatwad v. the State of Maharashtra and Others
Case brief
What is this about?
This judgment allows multiple writ petitions challenging the rejection of Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates by the Scrutiny Committee. The committee had cancelled certificates issued by Sub-divisional Officers due to spelling errors (e.g., 'Mannerwarlu' vs 'Mannervarlu'). The court held that such rejections on hyper-technical grounds were illegal and directed the return of original certificates, allowing petitioners to seek corrections from authorities within a stipulated timeframe without adverse action.
What did the court decide?
Writ petitions allowed. Orders invalidating certificates quashed. Committee directed to return originals; petitioners to get corrected certificates from authorities within eight weeks. Competent authorities to correct errors within four weeks. No adverse action pending verification of corrected certificates.