IN THE JUDICATURE OF HIGH COURT AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD 968 WRIT PETITION NO. 6009 OF 2025 Vaishali Bhagwat Gavali VERSUS The State Of Maharashtra And Others ... Advocate for the Petitioner : Mr. Thorat Chandrakant R. AGP for Respondents: Mr. A.A.A.Khan Advocate for Respondent No.3 : Ms. Sudha Chintamani ... CORAM : R. G. AVACHAT & ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, JJ. Dated : OCTOBER 16, 2025 ORAL JUDGMENT : - (Per ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J.) 1. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. By consent, heard both sides for final disposal. 2. The petitioner is challenging the judgment and order dated 29/04/2025 passed by the respondent No.2 – Caste Scrutiny Committee, invalidating the caste claim of the petitioner as belonging to ‘Koli Mahadev’, Scheduled Tribe. The learned Counsel for the petitioner invited our attention to the order dated 23/04/2025 passed in Writ Petition No.3556 of 2025 in the case of Gajanan Pandit Gavali, who had challenged the common judgment and order passed by respondent Caste Scrutiny Committee thereby invalidating his caste claim and this Court had allowed the said writ petition partly by setting aside the common judgment and order dated 05/03/2025, by granting a conditional validity. Page 1 of 2 2025:BHC-AUG:30076-DB 968 WP 6009-2025 3. The learned counsel for he petitioner contends that the petitioner in the said Writ Petition No.3556 of 2025 is his cousin brother. The learned AGP appearing for the State does not dispute the relationship of petitioner with the petitioners in Writ Petition No.3556 of 2025 (Supra) 4. In view of the above, we are inclined to pass a similar order. 5. The writ petition is partly allowed. The impugned order dated 29/04/2025 passed by respondent – Scrutiny Committee is quashed and set aside. Respondent No.2 - Scrutiny Committee shall immediately issue a tribe validity certificate to the petitioner as belonging to the ‘Koli Mahadev’ Scheduled Tribe, which shall be subject to the decision to be taken by the Committee in re-opened matters. Rule made absolute in above terms. ( ABASAHEB D. SHINDE, J. ) ( R. G. AVACHAT, J. ) vj gawade/-. Page 2 of 2