PRABHAT KUMAR SHARMA vs U.P.S.C. .

The Supreme Court addressed the eligibility of the 'Lohar' community for Scheduled Tribe status under Article 32 of the Constitution of India. The Court upheld the previous ruling in Nityanand Sharma v. State of Bihar, 1996 (3) SCC 576, affirming that 'Lohars' are classified as Other Backward Classes and not Scheduled Tribes, thus denying the appellant's claim for caste certification as a Scheduled Tribe. The Court held that the Union Public Service Commission's decision to treat the appellant provisionally as a Scheduled Tribe was not sufficient for qualification, as he failed to meet the necessary criteria in the Civil Services Examinations.