Santosh Tejrao More v. the State of Maharashtra through Secretary and Others
Case brief
What is this about?
Santosh Tejrao More v. The State of Maharashtra through Secretary and others, Writ Petition No. 873 of 2026, High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Aurangabad Bench, decided 22.01.2026 (Sandipkumar C. More and Abasaheb D. Shinde, JJ.; per court). Petitioner, appointed in July 2025 from the reserved category, sought expedited decision on his pending 'Koli Malhar' Scheduled Tribe claim verification; respondent No. 3's show-cause notice dated 14.01.2026 threatened end of service. Court ordered the Scrutiny Committee to decide the claim within six months and granted interim protection from coercive action, limited to six months without equities.
What did the court decide?
Directions to the respondent/Scrutiny Committee to decide the petitioner's 'Koli Malhar' Scheduled Tribe claim expeditiously, preferably within six months; respondent No. 3 restrained from taking coercive action for non-submission of the tribe validity certificate during that period; protection expressly limited to six months with no equities claimable by the petitioner.