1 WP6596-26.odt IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR WRIT PETITION NO. 6596/2026 (NITIN NANDKISHOR BHOSKAR VERSUS THE S.T. CASTE CERTIFICATE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE, NAGPUR & OTHERS) Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, appearances, Court's orders of directions Court's or Judge's order and Registrar's orders. Ms Rashi Nagrare, counsel for the petitioner. Smt. S.S. Jachak, Assistant Government Pleader for the respondent no.1. Shri N.A. Gaikwad, counsel for the respondent no.3. CORAM : URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE AND RAJ D. WAKODE , JJ. D ATE : AUGUST 27, 2026 P. C. Heard the learned counsel for the parties. 2. By this petition, the petitioners seeks a limited request that the respondent no.1-Scrutiny Committee, Nagpur be directed to decide the caste claim of the petitioner expeditiously and strictly in accordance with the amended provisions of the Scrutiny Committee Act and Rule and direct the respondent nos. 2 and 3 not to cancel admission of the petitioner till the decision of the respondent-Committee and to issue the caste validity certificate to the petitioner. 3. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner who submitted that the petitioner had already submitted the necessary proposal for verification of his caste claim on 04.10.2023 to the respondent- Committee. The claim of the present petitioner is pending since 2023. Initially also, the petitioner had filed Writ Petition No.4064 of 2026 seeking direction that his caste claim may be directed to be decided expeditiously. However, the same is still pending. Now the petitioner has been allotted the respondent no.2 college in Cap Round No.1 on a seat reserved for ST category, i.e. the Engineering College and therefore an interim direction is sought to the respondent no.1. 2 WP6596-26.odt 4. The learned Assistant Government Pleader, upon instructions, makes a statement that the respondent no.1 shall decide the caste claim of the petitioner within two weeks from today. 5. Shri N.A. Gaikwad, learned counsel for the respondent no.3, on instructions, submitted that the documents are required to be uploaded at the time of admission process. However, considering the above facts, appropriate order be passed. 6. We are aware of the fact that the State of Maharashtra has issued a Government Resolution granting period of six months to candidates belonging to reserved categories, viz. SBC and OBC, for submitting caste certificates and caste validity certificates within a period of six months from the date of admission. We do not find any reasons as to why such benefit of six months period should not be granted to other categories vix. Scheduled Tribes; Scheduled Castes, Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes. 7. In view of above, we are of the considered opinion that the admission process of the present petitioner for admission to the first year Engineering Course should be processed by the respondent no.3- State Common Entrance Test Cell, Mumbai and provisional admission should be granted to him. We also direct the respondent no.3-State Common Entrance Test Cell, Mumbai to consider the candidature of the present petitioner from the reserved category i.e. Scheduled Tribe Category. In view of that, we dispose of the present writ petition with directions to the respondents as under: I. The respondent no.1-Scrutiny Committee shall decide the caste claim of the petitioner within three weeks. II. The respondent no.3-State Common Entrance Test Cell, Mumbai shall consider the admission of the petitioner from Scheduled Tribe category to first year Engineering course as per the process and grant 3 WP6596-26.odt him provisional admission by considering his candidature from Scheduled Tribes, if he is otherwise eligible, without insisting for caste validity certificate. III. The caste claim of the petitioner would be subject to final outcome of the caste claim decided by the Scrutiny Committee. IV. The respondent no.2 shall not cancel admission of the petitioner for want of caste validity certificate. 8. With this, the writ petition is disposed of with no order as to costs. (RAJ D. WAKODE, J.) (URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE, J.) APTE Signed by: Apte Designation: Senior Pvt. Secretary Date: 28/08/2026 18:22:10