Suryakant Amruta Surewad vs the State of Maharashtra through Its Principal Secretary and Another — Bombay HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

Suryakant Amruta Surewad vs the State of Maharashtra through Its Principal Secretary and Another — Bombay HC (2026) — LawSathi Research

What the court decided

AI extract

Outcome

Issuance by the Respondent/Scrutiny Committee of validity certificates certifying the petitioners as belonging to 'Mannervarlu', Scheduled Tribe, to be issued immediately, subject to the decision of the Scrutiny Committee should the validation proceedings of the validity holder relied upon by the petitioners be reopened.

Issue for consideration

Whether the writ petitioners, whose 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe caste certificates were refused validation by the Respondent/Scrutiny Committee under the same impugned judgment and order that had refused the claim of their relative Shankar s/o Laxman Mali @ Surewad, should be granted validity certificates in view of this Court having allowed the relative's Writ Petition No.4889 of 2024 and the absence of any dispute as to the petitioners' relationship with that validity holder.

Court's answer

The Court disposed of these writ petitions without going into the merits or the factual matrix, reasoning that the petitioners' distinct relative Shankar s/o Laxman Mali @ Surewad — a validity holder whose own writ petition this Court had allowed — stands behind their claims, and that there is no dispute with regard to the relationships of the petitioners with that validity holder.

Ratio / Principle

The writ petitions were allowed, and the Respondent/Scrutiny Committee was directed to issue validity certificates to the petitioners as belonging to 'Mannervarlu', Scheduled Tribe, immediately.

Key takeaways

The validity certificates to be issued are expressly made conditional: they shall be subject to whatever decision the Scrutiny Committee may take in case the validation proceedings in respect of the validity holder relied upon by the petitioners are reopened.ratio¶ORDER iii

Detailed headnote1 paragraphs

Seven clubbed writ petitions (Nos. 4135, 4256, 4258, 4186, 4144, 4185 and 4257 of 2024) by claimants to 'Mannervarlu' Scheduled Tribe status whose caste certificates were refused validation by the Respondent/Scrutiny Committee under the same impugned judgment and order that had refused the claim of their relative, Shankar s/o Laxman Mali @ Surewad. That relative's Writ Petition No.4889 of 2024 had already been allowed by this Court on 04.09.2025, setting aside the impugned judgment and order. Without entering into the merits or the factual matrix, and finding no dispute as to the petitioners' relationship with that validity holder, the Court (Sandipkumar C. More and Abasaheb D. Shinde, JJ.) allowed all the petitions and directed the Scrutiny Committee to issue validity certificates to the petitioners immediately, expressly conditioning the certificates on the outcome should the validation proceedings of the relied-upon validity holder be reopened. Dated January 17, 2026; neutral citation 2026:BHC-AUG:2222-DB.

2026:BHC-AUG:2222-DB

1

949-WP-4135-2024.odt

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY, BENCH AT AURANGABAD

949 WRIT PETITION NO. 4135 OF 2024

Vimal Anandrao Mali Surewad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

Mr. Chandrakant R. Thorat, Advocate for the Petitioner Mr. N. B. Patil, AGP for Respondents/State

Mr. S. B. Pulkundwar, Advocate for Respondent No.2 in Writ Petition Nos.4135/2024, 4144/2024, 4259/2024, 4257/2024, 4258/2024 Ms. Anagha Rotte, Advocate for Respondent No.3 in Writ Petition No.4185/2024

Mr. R. K. Ingole, Advocate for Respondent No.2

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4256 OF 2024

Parbhata Ganpati Surewad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4258 OF 2024

Suryakant Amruta Surewad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Another

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4186 OF 2024

Varsha Prabhatrao Surewad

VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Thorugh Its Principal Secretary And Others

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4144 OF 2024

Govind Ananda Suryawad Surewad VERSUS

Narwade/

2

949-WP-4135-2024.odt

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4185 OF 2024

Madhav Ganpati Surewad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

WITH WRIT PETITION NO. 4259 OF 2024

Laxmi Kishan Suryawad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

WITH

WRIT PETITION NO. 4257 OF 2024

Govind Sambhaji Surewad VERSUS

The State Of Maharashtra Through Its Principal Secretary And Others

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

DATED : JANUARY 17, 2026

P.C.:

Heard.

All these petitioners claimed to have belonging to ‘Mannervarlu’, Scheduled Tribe. Their caste certificates were subjected to validation. Along with these petitioners one namely, Shankar s/o Laxman Mali @ Surewad whose tribe claim was refused by Respondent/Scrutiny Committee by the same impugned judgment and order have approached this Court by filing Writ Petition No.4889 of 2024 and this Court by order dated 04.09.2025 has allowed the said Writ Petition by setting aside the impugned judgment and order herein.

Narwade/

3

949-WP-4135-2024.odt

Without going into the merit and the factual matrix, we propose to dispose of these writ petitions, since the petitioners’ distinct relative namely, Shankar s/o Laxman Mali @ Surewad whose writ petition has been allowed by this Court and since there is no dispute with regard to the relationships of the petitioners with that validity holder, we are inclined to allow these Writ Petitions. Hence, following order :

ORDER

i. Writ Petition allowed.

ii. Respondent/Scrutiny Committee shall issue validity certificate to the petitioners of Mannervarlu, Scheduled Tribe immediately.

iii. The validity certificate granted to the petitioners shall be subject to the decision that may be taken by the Scrutiny Committee in case the validation proceedings in respect of the validity holder relied by the petitioners are reopened.

[ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J.] [SANDIPKUMAR C. MORE, J.]

Narwade/