Recently the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court in a judgement clarified that the caste validity certificate can also be obtained for purposes completed in the past and needed for future. The High Court stated that the caste certificate law does not impose a requirement that the relevant objective should exist at the present time or at the time of filing a claim for a caste validity certificate.
Caste validity certificate is required for availing caste based reservation and other benefits in government jobs, educational admissions also for various purposes. Caste validity certificate is issued by the Caste Certificate Verification Committee. For that a claim has to be filed with the committee.However, the committee issues an order in accordance with the law, considering the claim, only if the purpose for which the caste validity certificate exists at present. Otherwise the claim is not considered.
The caste certificate verification committees in the state have been following the same procedure from the beginning. And High Court has ruled that the practise is illegal.Therefore, the committee will have to consider every claim of the caste validity certificate submitted for the legal purposes. The court also observed that nowhere in the law is it stated that the purpose of obtaining a caste validity certificate should exist in the present. Relevant objectives can be fulfilled in the past or intended to be accomplished in the future. The court also stated that it is the legal responsibility of the committee to verify the caste certificate.
