In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court overturned a decision by the Bombay High Court that revoked Lok Sabha MP Navneet Kaur Rana’s caste certification. Rana, who currently holds the position of Amaravati MP and is a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee for a seat reserved for scheduled caste aspirants in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, was affected by this legal upheaval. Previously, the highest judicial body had suspended the high court’s ruling annulling Rana’s caste certificate.
A panel led by Justice J K Maheswari declared the appeals to be permissible, thereby nullifying the contentious judgment of the high court. The Supreme Court emphasized that the scrutiny committee meticulously examined the presented evidence, and the high court exceeded its authority by intervening in its decision. A comprehensive verdict on this issue will be made available later today.
The apex court had reserved its decision on Lok Sabha MP Navneet Kaur Rana’s petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s ruling to annul her caste certification on February 28.
In June 2021, the high court determined that the ‘Mochi’ caste certificate was fraudulently acquired through falsified documents. Additionally, a fine of Rs 2 lakh was imposed on the Amravati MP. According to the court’s findings, the official records indicated her affiliation with the ‘Sikh-Chamar’ caste.
The apex court deliberated on Rana’s appeal, who is an independent legislator representing Maharashtra’s Amravati constituency, which is designated for scheduled caste individuals.
Rana, supported by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), secured victory in Amravati in 2019, asserting her membership in the ‘Mochi’ caste.
The high court directed Rana to surrender the certificate within six weeks and to remit the penalty of ₹ 2 lakh to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority.
