Mumbai: Caste certificates can now be obtained without submitting multiple documents, if the applicant’s father or blood relative already holds a valid caste certificate, the State government has said.
As per an amendment in 2012 to The Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, De-Notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Category (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate Act, 2001, an applicant for a Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate would have to submit a domicile certificate dating back to 1950. This cut-off year was fixed as 1961 for nomadic tribes, and 1967 for OBC.
On Tuesday, the State Cabinet introduced an amendment to the Act, which does away with the need for a domicile certificate for applicants if their father or blood relatives on the father’s side already possess a valid caste certificate. State Minister for Social Justice Rajkumar Badole said, “We are making the tedious process easier for backward community students. Once lineage is established through the bloodline, no other documents will be required. It will students in a big way.”
In a recent judgement, the Bombay High Court had ordered the State government to issue a caste certificate to Sindhudurg student Ankita Nimmalwar, 20, whose application for a validity certificate had been refused by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Konkan Division, Thane. In her petition to the HC, Ms. Nimmalwar, a member of the Mannervelu tribe, said she had submitted caste certificates issued to her father and his siblings. She had wanted a caste validity certificate to pursue higher education
Now, the applicant will have to submit a copy of a blood relative’s valid caste certificate to the district-level scrutiny committee. This will be published on the website of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI); if there are no objections within 15 days, the certificate will be issued without further documentary evidence.
The government is also creating a digital locker system, for which ₹30 crore will be made available to BARTI. “These digital lockers will store an individual’s valid caste certificates, which will be used in the future, if needed,” Mr. Badole said.