Sanjay Narsingrao Sidhewad vs the State of Maharashtra through Its Secretary and Others — Bombay HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

Sanjay Narsingrao Sidhewad vs the State of Maharashtra through Its Secretary and Others — Bombay HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Quashing and setting aside of the Tribe Committee's common judgment and order dated 19.01.2026 (as to the petitioners), with direction to the Tribe Committee to issue 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe validity certificates to the petitioners, co-terminus with the blood relatives' validities under reopening, and a bar on the petitioners claiming any equities.

Issue for consideration

Whether the Tribe Committee's invalidation of the petitioners' tribe claims of belonging to the 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe should be set aside, in view of the conditional validities granted by this Court to the petitioners' close blood relatives.

Court's answer

The writ petitions are allowed.

Ratio / Principle

The impugned common judgment and order dated 19.01.2026 passed by respondent/Tribe Committee is quashed and set aside to the extent of the petitioners.

Key takeaways

The respondent/Tribe Committee is directed to issue validity certificates to the petitioners certifying their belonging to the 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe.ratio¶36
The validity certificates issued in favour of the petitioners will be co-terminus with the validities of the blood relatives whose validities the Tribe Committee has decided to reopen.ratio¶37
The petitioners will not claim any equities (condition attached to the grant).

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Ashok, Sanjay and Arvind Narsingrao Sidhewad (Writ Petition Nos. 1180, 1190 and 1209 of 2026, Aurangabad Bench) challenged the common judgment and order dated 19.01.2026 of the respondent/Tribe Committee invalidating their tribe claims of belonging to the 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe. Their close blood relatives — Mangesh Ashokrao Sidhewad, Narendra Arvind Sidhewad, Akansha Arvind Sidhewad and Sanket Sanjay Sidhewad — had earlier secured conditional validity certificates from this Court in Writ Petition Nos. 13809 of 2023, 8615 of 2025 and 11860 of 2025, subject to the outcome of the Tribe Committee's reopening exercise; the learned AGPs did not dispute those validities or the kinship. On that basis the Court allowed the writ petitions, quashed and set aside the impugned common judgment and order to the extent of the petitioners, and directed the Tribe Committee to issue 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe validity certificates to the petitioners, co-terminus with the validities of the blood relatives whose validities are to be reopened, while barring the petitioners from claiming any equities. Final order per Abasaheb D. Shinde, J.; Coram: Sandipkumar C. More and Abasaheb D. Shinde, JJ. (Order corrected per the Speaking-to-the-Minutes order dated 25.02.2026.)

(1)

929 WP-1180.2026 + 2 (corrected).odt

(This order is corrected in view of the order dated 25.02.2026 in Speaking to the Minutes)

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD

929 WRIT PETITION NO. 1180 OF 2026

ASHOK NARSINGRAO SIDHEWAD VERSUS

THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS

AND

931 WRIT PETITION NO. 1190 OF 2026

SANJAY NARSINGRAO SIDHEWAD

VERSUS

THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS

AND

933 WRIT PETITION NO. 1209 OF 2026

ARVIND NARSINGRAO SIDHEWAD

VERSUS

THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THROUGH ITS SECRETARY AND OTHERS

… Mr. S.M. Vibhute, Advocate for the petitioners. Mr. N.B. Patil and Mrs. Chaitali Choudhari AGPs for the respondents-State in respective petitions.

Mr. S.B. Pulkundwar, Advocate for respondent Nos.3 and 4 in Writ Petition No. 1190 of 2026.

CORAM : SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE AND ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, JJ.

DATED : 3 FEBRUARY 2026.

Final order (Per Abasaheb D. Shinde,J. ):

Heard.

All these writ petitions are taking exception to the common judgment and order passed by the respondent/Tribe

(2)

929 WP-1180.2026 + 2 (corrected).odt Committee dated 19.01.2026 by which the tribe claims of the petitioners of belonging to “ Mannervarlu ” Scheduled Tribe, have been invalidated.

Learned counsel for the petitioners, by inviting attention of this Court to the genealogy filed before the Tribe Committee, would submit that the close blood relatives of the petitioners namely Mangesh Ashokrao Sidhewad, Narendra Arvind Sidhewad, Akansha Arvind Sidhewad and Sanket Sanjay Sidhewad, whose tribe claims were invalidated by the Tribe Committee, have approached this court by filing Writ Petition No. 13809 of 2023, Writ Petition No. 8615 of 2025 and Writ Petition No. 11860 of 2025. In all these three writ petitions this Court, by setting aside the order passed by the Tribe Committee, has allowed the petitions by granting conditional validities to those petitioners subject to outcome of reopening undertaken by the Tribe Committee of the blood relatives, whose validities are relied upon by the said petitioners.

Learned AGPs appearing in all these writ petitions do not dispute the fact that close blood relatives of the petitioners have been granted conditional validities by this Court nor they are disputing relationship of the present petitioners with those validity holders.

(3)

929 WP-1180.2026 + 2 (corrected).odt

In that view of the matter, we are inclined to allow these

writ petitions by setting aside the impugned common judgment and order. Hence, we pass the following order.

ORDER

(i) The writ petitions are allowed.

(ii) The impugned common judgment and order dated 19.01.2026 passed by respondent/ Tribe Committee to the extent of the petitioners, is quashed and set aside.

(iii) Respondent/Tribe Committee is directed to issue validity certificates to the petitioners of belonging to “Mannervarlu” Scheduled Tribe.

(iv) The validity certificates issued in favour of the petitioners will be co-terminus with the validities of the blood relatives, whose validities are decided to be reopened by the Tribe Committee.

(v) The petitioners will not claim any equities.

(ABASAHEB D. SHINDE) (SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE) JUDGE JUDGE

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