Mumbai: Tribal MLAs to take on employees who got jobs on fake caste certificates

Mumbai: All legislators belonging to the Scheduled Tribes category have sworn to fight against those government employees who grabbed jobs on fake caste certificates.

Nirmala Gavit, Congress legislator, has demanded strict action against the offenders. “Strict action should be taken against all those employees who have grabbed jobs of the needy and deprived on the basis of fake caste certificates. This has been a long fight of us since our ancestors.” She added, “Moreover, disciplinary action should taken against those who have made these fake certificates, so that they will not repeat such in future.”

Padmakar Valvi, former NCP MLA, stated, several people belonging to Koli, Koshti, Thakur, Munnerwar and other communities had managed to get fake caste certificates of ST category and were recruited by the state government in the last 2 decades, thereby depriving genuine ST candidates.

“We, all party legislators belonging to ST community are fighting for the justice of original STs since last five -six years. We brought this issue to the notice of then Governor through Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC),” said Valvi, who was minister for sports and youth welfare during Congress-Nationalist Congress Party regime. TAC is a statutory body controlled by the Governor, and all legislators belonging to ST are members of this committee. He offenders should vacate their posts immediately.

Ashutosh Kumbhakoni, Advocate General of the state and Law and Judicial department has recommended criminal action against such employees. Speaking on this recommendation, Valvi said, state will take the decision over it.

After instructions from CM Devendra Fadnavis, the General Administration Department (GAD) has reviewed all departments and found there are 11,700 employees who were recruited on quota reserved for STs. The CM will call a 2nd meeting very soon before the budget session from February 26, to take a final call,” the official from GAD said.

On July 6, 2017, the Supreme Court order directed the state government to ensure the employees who have got jobs on fake caste certificates vacate their posts and also directed the government to take criminal action against the offenders.