Virendrasingh S/O Ramsingh Thakur vs Jt. Commissioner And Vice Chairman, ...
2024 Latest Caselaw 26477 Bom

Citation : 2024 Latest Caselaw 26477 Bom
Judgement Date : 18 October, 2024

Bombay High Court

Virendrasingh S/O Ramsingh Thakur vs Jt. Commissioner And Vice Chairman, ... on 18 October, 2024

Author: Avinash G. Gharote

Bench: Avinash G. Gharote, M.S. Jawalkar

2024:BHC-NAG:11805-DB



                 Judgment                          1                39wp906.23.odt



                        IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY,
                                  NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR.


                                 WRIT PETITION NO. 906/2023


                        Virendrasingh S/o Ramsingh Thakur,
                        Aged about 53 years, Occ. Service,
                        R/o. Thakur Niwas, Near Bhagatsingh Square,
                        Small Umari, Akola 444005
                                                           .... PETITIONER(S)

                                           // VERSUS //

                 (1)    Joint Commissioner & Vice-Chairman ,
                        Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee,
                        B-Wing, 1st Floor, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Social Justice
                        Department, Camp Road, Amravati 444606

                 (2)    The Registrar,
                        Dr. Punjabrao Krishi Vidyapeeth,
                        P.O. Krishi Nagar, Akola

                 (3)    The Associate Dean,
                        College of Agricultural,
                        Akola
                                                           .... RESPONDENT(S)

                 ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
                      Mr. S.R. Narnaware, Advocate for the Petitioner(s)
                      Mr. H.R. Dhumale, AGP for the Respondent/State
                 Ms.D.Bhoyar, Adv h/f Mr. A.Sambre, Adv for Respondent No. 2
                 ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

                CORAM : AVINASH G. GHAROTE & SMT. M.S. JAWALKAR, JJ.
                       OCTOBER 18, 2024




..ANSARI..
              Judgment                         2                  39wp906.23.odt




             ORAL JUDGMENT :- (PER: AVINASH G. GHAROTE, J.)

(1) RULE. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard finally by

consent of learned Counsel for the respective parties.

(2) The Petition questions the decision dated 28/12/2022

passed by the Respondent No. 1 - Caste Scrutiny Committee,

Amravati rejecting the claim of the Petitioner of belonging to

Scheduled Tribe 'Thakur'.

(3) With the assistance of the learned Counsel for the

Petitioner and learned AGP, we have perused the record and the

impugned decision.

(4) The rejection of the claim, is only on the basis of two

entries one is dated 06/07/1956 which is the school admission

Bajrangsingh, in which the entry is recorded as 'Pardesi' and

another entry dated 13/06/1952 is in respect of paternal aunt of

..ANSARI..

Judgment 3 39wp906.23.odt

the Petitioner namely Pramila Bajrangsingh, in which the entry

is recorded as 'Rajput'.

(5) Learned AGP is unable to point to any other reason for

rejection of the claim apart from the affinity which has already

been held to be not of any consequence in comparison with the

old pre-constitutional entries. In the instant matter, it is not in

dispute that Bajrangsingh is the grandfather of the Petitioner

and Vimlabai was his daughter. The tree also indicates that

Bhagwantisingh was the brother of Bajrangsingh. The tree also

indicates that Ramsingh is the son of Bajrangsingh. The tree

also indicates Balbhadrasingh to be the cousin grandfather of

Bajrangsinsh. Though the impugned decision, at Paragraph No.

3 (Page No. 81), records the name of Balbhimsingh S/o

Kalusingh, however, the death report at Record Page No. 117 of

the R & P indicates that his name is Balbhadrasingh who had

passed away on 05/02/1950 and belongs to the 'Thakur'

community. Though Entry No. 17 in Paragraph No. 3 of the

impugned decision (Page No. 81) records the name of

Kamlaprasad S/o Dhuniasingh whose caste is recorded as

'Thakur' in his service book, his correct name is Kamtaprasad,

..ANSARI..

Judgment 4 39wp906.23.odt

as is discernible from Page No. 126 of the R & P. It is perhaps

because of the incorrect recording of the name that the remark

has been given that his name is not in the genealogical tree.

(6) The relevant pre-constitutional entries, therefore, would

be as under:-

अ.क्र कागदपत्राचे स्वरुप कागदत्रावरील जमात दिनांक अर्जदारा व्यक्तीचे नांव शी नाते ११ नगरपालिका, बजरंगसिंह ठाकु र ६.१२.१९५२ आजोबा अकोला सेवापट

१२ मृत्यू अहवाल बलभिमसिंग ठाकु र ५.२.१९५० कालूसिंग १३ जन्माचा उतारा बजरंगसिंग ठाकू र १३.८.१९४१ आजोबा दुनियासिंग यांना एक मुलगी (विमल) झाल्याची नोंद १४ शाळा सोडण्याचे विमलाबाई ठाकु र १२.४.१९४८ आत्या प्रमाणपत्र बजरंगसिंग १५ जन्माचा उतारा भगवंतीदिन ठाकू र १८.५.१९३९ चुलत दुनिया यांना एक आजोबा मुलगा (रामचेस) झाल्याची नोंद १७ सेवापट कमलाप्रसाद ठाकु र १९४४ वंशावळीत दुनियासिंह नाव नाही

..ANSARI..

Judgment 5 39wp906.23.odt

(7) The above position, therefore, would indicate that the

pre-constitutional documents, unequivocally record the

ancestors of the Petitioner as belonging to 'Thakur' community,

which has been declared as a Scheduled Tribe under the Entry

No. 44.

(8) In view of what has been held in Anand Vs. Committee

for Scrutiny and Verification of Tribe Claim, (2012) 1 SCC

113, the entries in the pre-constitutional documents have to be

given preference, we find that the old pre-constitutional

documents record the Petitioner's ancestors as belonging to

'Thakur' community, on account of which, the denial of the

claim by the Committee based upon two entries of the years

1952 and 1956 by ignoring the earlier entries cannot be

sustained and the same is hereby quashed and set aside. The

Petition is, therefore, allowed. It is declared that the Petitioner

belongs to the Scheduled Tribe 'Thakur', Entry No. 44 in the

Presidential Order, 1950. The Respondent No. 1 - Caste Scrutiny