Bharat Lotan Thakur v. the State of Mah and Ors.
Caste/tribe validity – rejection by Caste Scrutiny Committee (Nandurbar) – writ petition allowed
Case brief
What is this about?
Keywords: caste validity; tribe claim; Caste Scrutiny Committee Nandurbar; pre-constitutional documents 1918-19; 1933-34; verification of genuineness; quashed and set aside; relegated/remanded for fresh decision within nine months; interim protection continued; Rule made absolute; Writ Petition 4339 of 2012; Bombay High Court Aurangabad Bench; 2025. Relevant to: limits on a High Court directly considering documents produced for the first time in a writ petition against a scrutiny committee's rejection of a caste/tribe claim, and remand to the Committee for fresh verification.
What did the court decide?
Impugned judgment of the Caste Scrutiny Committee quashed and set aside; petitioner permitted to place the documents of 1918-19 before the Committee, which to examine their legality, validity and propriety and decide the matter afresh within nine months; liberty to file other documents; interim protection continued till the Committee's decision; Rule made absolute; no order as to costs.