104.WP.6582.2026 1/3 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR WRIT PETITION NO. 6582 OF 2026 Tejas S/o. Ramesh Dandekar Vs. The Vice-Chairman/Member-Secretary, Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Nagpur & Ors. ______________________________________________________________________________ Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, Appearances, Court's orders of directions Court's or Judge's order and Registrar's orders. Ms. Himani Kavi, Advocate for the Petitioner. Mr. Amit Chutke, AGP for Respondent No.1/State. Mr. N.A. Gaikwad, Advocate for Respondent No.3. ------------------------------- CORAM : URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE AND R AJ D. WAKODE , JJ. DATE : 29.08.2026 Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner. 2. The petitioner-student has approached this Court seeking a direction to respondent No.1 – Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Nagpur, to decide the caste claim of the petitioner within a stipulated period. The petitioner claims belonging to ‘Mana’ Scheduled Tribe, which is enlisted at Serial No.18 of the Scheduled Tribes Order, 1950. 3. The caste claim of the petitioner was submitted to respondent No.1 – Committee on 9th July, 2025. The acknowledgment to that effect is at record page No.28. Learned counsel for the petitioner submits that, till date, the aforesaid caste claim is not decided by respondent No.1. 4. In the meanwhile, the petitioner was allotted respondent No.2 – College, wherein the petitioner has already sought 2026:BHC-NAG:11351-DB 104.WP.6582.2026 2/3 admission and has paid the requisite fees. The receipt-cum- acknowledgment of admission to the first year of undergraduate technical courses in Engineering in respondent No.2 – College is at record page No.57 (Annexure-14). 5. The note at the bottom of the aforesaid acknowledgment reveals that, since the petitioner was admitted under the Scheduled Tribe category, he was required to produce the original validity certificate on or before the final reporting date of the fourth CAP round. Failure to do so will result in automatic cancellation of his admission. 6. In view of such exigency, the petitioner has approached this Court. Mr. Amit Chutke, learned AGP, upon instructions, submits that respondent No.1 – Committee shall decide the caste claim of the petitioner within a stipulated period of three months from today. 7. In view of the above, we dispose of the present writ petition with the following order: ORDER (i) Respondent No.1 – Committee shall decide the caste claim of the petitioner towards ‘Mana’ Scheduled Tribe within a period of three months from today. (ii) Respondent No.2 – College and respondent No.3 – State Common Entrance Test Cell, which is represented by Mr. Gaikwad, learned counsel, are directed not to take any coercive steps against the petitioner on the ground that the petitioner 104.WP.6582.2026 3/3 has not produced the original validity certificate, till the decision of the validation proceedings. (iii) The admission of the petitioner in respondent No.2 – College shall be subject to the result of the validation proceedings. (iv) The petitioner is directed to cooperate with respondent No.1 – Committee in the aforesaid validation proceedings for an expeditious decision and shall not seek any unnecessary adjournments. 8. The writ petition is accordingly disposed of. No costs. (RAJ D. WAKODE, J.) (URMILA JOSHI-PHALKE, J.) Vijaykumar Signed by: Mr. Vijay Kumar Designation: PA To Honourable Judge Date: 31/08/2026 11:16:15