DILIP DINKAR THAKAR vs STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS

Judgment text excerpt

INGLE 918-wp-4414-10.doc IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY Digitally signed URMILA by URMILA PRAMOD CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION PRAMOD INGALE Date: INGALE 2026.01.14 19:41:34 +0530 WRIT PETITION NO. 4414 OF 2010 Surekha Dinkar Thakar @ Sharada Subhash Shivankar … Petitioner V/s. State of Maharashtra and ors. … Respondents WITH WRIT PETITION NO. 5034 OF 2011 WITH CIVIL APPLICATION NO. 10 OF 2023 Dilip Dinkar Thakar … Petitioner V/s. State of Maharashtra and ors. … Respondents Mr. R.K. Mendadkar a/w Mr.Siddhart Sawai, Ms.Priyanka Shaw, Mr. JagdishKawale, for the Petitioners. Smt. D.S.Deshmukh, AGP for the Respondent-State in WP/4414/10. Mr. A.K. Naik, AGP for the Respondent-State in WP/5034/11. CORAM : M.S. KARNIK AND S.M.MODAK, JJ. DATE : 14th JANUARY 2026 ORAL JUDGMENT (PER M.S. KARNIK , J.) :- 1. Heard learned counsel for the Petitioner and learned AGP. 2. The caste claim of the Petitioner-Surekha Dinkar Thakar alias Sharada Subhash Shivankar has been invalidated by the Scrutiny Committee as belonging to ‘Thakar, Scheduled Tribe’. Learned AGP invited our attention to the impugned order. It is submitted by learned AGP that 1/6 INGLE 918-wp-4414-10.doc the documents produced on record, especially that of the Petitioner’s grandfather and father indicate that they never projected their caste as ‘Thakar, Scheduled Tribe’. Our attention is invited to the various entries recorded. 3. In our opinion, significant in the present context is the caste validity certificate granted to the first cousin from the paternal side of the Petitioner-Mr. Pramod Sadashiv Thakar. The Scrutiny Committee has in the impugned order referred to the affidavit sworn by Mr. Pramod Sadashiv Thakar dated 12/07/2005 wherein it has been stated that the Petitioner is the first cousin from the pate