1/3 114-WP-7594-26.odt IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY, NAGPUR BENCH, AT NAGPUR. WRIT PETITION NO.7594 OF 2026 PRASIDDHI D/O KAILAS PAKHALE, THR. HER NATURAL GUARDIAN KAILAS S/O VITTHALRAO PAKHALE VS THE SCHEDULED TRIBE CASTE CERTIFICATE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE, THR. MEMBER SECY. AND ANR. - -- - -- -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, Court's or Judge's orders appearances, Court's orders of directions and Registrar's orders - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Shri Vedant Pandey, Advocate for petitioner. Shri V. A. Thakare, Assistant Government Pleader for respondent No.1. CORAM : URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE & RAJ D. WAKODE, JJ. DATED : September 23, 2026 P. C. 1. Heard Shri Vedant Pandey, learned counsel for the petitioner. The petitioner has approached this Court seeking direction to respondent No.1-Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Amravati to decide the caste-claim of the petitioner towards ‘Halbi’ Schedule Tribe expeditiously. 2. Shri Pandey, learned counsel for the petitioner submits that the petitioner has submitted her caste-claim to the respondent No.1- Committee on 25/05/2026, acknowledgment of which is at record page 14, Annexure-2 which is pending before respondent No.1- Committee. Now, the petitioner has secured admission in respondent No.2-Institute in the course of B. Tech, Chemical Engineering on 14/08/2026. Acknowledgment of provisional reporting letter dated 14/08/2026 substantiating the aforesaid fact is at record page 24, Annexure-5(colly). The aforesaid provisional reporting letter reveals that the admission of the petitioner is in Scheduled Tribe category. 2026:BHC-NAG:12648-DB 2/3 114-WP-7594-26.odt 3. Shri Pandey, learned counsel for the petitioner submits that since admission of the petitioner is from reserved category, respondent No.2 is insisting upon the petitioner to produce the validity certificate and hence the petitioner has approached this Court. 4. Shri V. A. Thakare, learned Assistant Government Pleader who appears on behalf of respondent No.1-Scrutiny Committee, upon instructions, makes a categorical statement that respondent No.1 shall decide the caste-claim of the petitioner within a period of three months from today. 5. In view of above, we pass the following order : (i) Respondent No.1- Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Amravati is directed to decide the caste-claim of the petitioner towards ‘Halbi’ Scheduled Tribe within a stipulated period of three months from today. (ii) The petitioner is directed to co-operate with respondent No.1-Committee in verification of her caste-claim expeditiously without seeking unnecessary adjournments. (iii) Respondent No.2-Institute is directed not to take any coercive steps against the petitioner solely on the ground that the petitioner is not able to produce validity certificate till the decision of the Scrutiny Committee. (iv) The admission of the petitioner from reserved category in respondent No.2-Institute shall be subject to decision of the Scrutiny Committee. (v) In case the order of the Scrutiny Committee is adverse to the 3/3 114-WP-7594-26.odt petitioner, this interim order shall continue for a further period of three weeks in order to enable the petitioner to approach this Court seeking challenge to such adverse/invalidation order. 6. Writ Petition is disposed of in aforesaid terms. No order as to costs. (Raj D. Wakode, J.) ( Urmila Joshi-Phalke, J.) Asmita Signed by: Smt. Asmita A. Bhandakkar Designation: PS To Honourable Judge Date: 24/09/2026 10:32:07