Corporator Syeda Khatun disqualified over invalid caste certificate

Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Wednesday disqualified city corporator Syeda Khatun upholding the claim of petitioner Kamil Ansari who had challenged validity of the OBC caste certificate submitted by her. This decision by the bench headed by Justices RK Deshpande and AB Borkar now means the seat held by Khatu, Ward No 8-B, is to be considered vacant.
Polls for Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) were held in 2017 and Khatun was declared winner from 8-B seat which was reserved for OBC candidate. Petitioner Ansari had then claimed her caste certificate was invalid and filed a complaint with Election Commission of India (ECI).
The certificate was put before a scrutiny committee that upheld it. Ansari then approached the court through his lawyer Narayan Phadnis. Phadnis argued the certificate issued in 2011 by district deputy collector was not valid and was in fact a non-creamy layer certificate. Phadnis said Khatun had claimed her OBC status under Jullaha community (weaver), but the documentation was not in order.
Jemini Kasat, counsel for NMC and ECI, said the deputy collector had mentioned in an affidavit the certificate issued on June 8, 2011 only pertained to non-creamy layer status. The court held that respondent had failed to bring on record any caste certificate.