High Court cancels caste certificate of Navneet Rana

 

 

 

The Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, cancelled the caste validity certificate issued to Amravati MP Navneet Rana MP. She has also been imposed fine of Rs 2 lakh which she has to pay to Maharashtra Legal Services Authority within two weeks. The court, in its order, said that the caste validity certificate was fraudulently obtained by using fabricated documents and directed her to surrender it within six weeks. The court judgement came as a shocker for Navneet Rana who was elected from Amravati constituency on the same certificate. Her Parliamentary membership also seems to be in danger. A division bench of justices R D Dhanuka and V G Bisht pronounced the decision.The court noted that the Navneet Rana’s claim of belonging to Mochi caste to obtain the Scheduled Caste certificate itself was fraudulent and made with an intention to obtain various benefits available to a candidate from such category, despite knowing she does not belong to that caste. Navneet Rana was elected from SC reserved Amravati constituency in 2019 on the same certificate.

 

She is an Independent MP backed by the NCP. The application (for caste certificate) was made intentionally to make a fraudulent claim to enable Navneet Rana to contest the election for the post of MP reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate, the court said in its judgment. “In our view, since Rana has obtained the caste certificate and got it validated from the Caste Scrutiny Committee by producing fake documents, it is cancelled and stands confiscated,” the bench said. The court in its judgment also noted the abysmal functioning of the scrutiny committee. The court passed its order on a petition filed by Anandrao Adsul seeking cancellation of the caste certificate dated August 30, 2013, issued by Mumbai Deputy Collector, stating Rana belonging to the Mochi caste. Anandrao Adsul later filed a complaint with the Mumbai District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, which ruled in favour of Rana and validated her caste certificate. Adsul then approached the High Court. The petitioner’s case stated that Navneet Rana obtained the caste certificate using forged documents. The High Court, in its judgment, said the order passed by the Scrutiny Committee validating Navneet Rana’s caste certificate was ‘totally perverse, without the application of mind and contrary to the evidence on record’.

 

The bench noted that the original birth certificate of Navneet Rana did not mention the caste Mochi. “In our view, there are two sets of documents produced by Navneet Rana which were contradictory to each other before the scrutiny committee. She had claimed to be Sikh Chamar as well as Ravidasiya Mochi,” the High Court said. The court further said the scrutiny committee has done injustice to the petitioner and has put its imprimatur on such fraudulent caste claim. HC said, in its view, the terms Chamar and Mochi are not synonymous and are different identities. The scrutiny committee did its job rather sloppily and shirked the obligations imposed on it, the court observed. The scrutiny committee has totally ignored the objections raised by the complainant and by Vigilance Cell in respect of the documents, it said and further added that the scrutiny committee allowed the caste claim in favour of Navneet Rana even though she failed to produce authentic and clear evidence. The court noted that the core function of the scrutiny committee while verifying caste certificates was the investigation carried out by its vigilance cell. It may be mentioned that Anandrao Adsul, who challenged the caste validity certificate of Navneet Rana, had defeated her in 2014 Lok Sabha election from Amravati constituency. He was later defeated by Navneet Rana in 2019 Parliamentry election. As the result came in favour of Anand Adsul, Shiv Sena activists held celebrations at Rajkamal Chowk and Sakkarsath under the leadership of Sunil Kharate, Amravati District President of Shiv Sena, and Pravin Haramkar, Amravati Mahanagar Chief.

 

MP confident of justice in Supreme Court Reacting to the development, the actor-turned-politician Navneet Rana said that she respected the court’s order as a citizen of the country. “I will approach the Supreme Court and I am confident that I will get justice,” said Navneet Rana, MP. The Court has adjourned the judgment for 6 weeks, as there is a six month leave for Supreme Court. The committee had scrutinised her caste certificate three times and submitted a report that it was valid. Respecting the decision of the High Court, ‘I will go to the Supreme Court and exercise my Constitutional right,’ she said. “We have not yet received a copy of the court order. Adv Dhakepalkar and Adv Gade had sought 8 weeks to appeal against the decision in the Supreme Court. My side will definitely come true in the court. People have democratically elected me as an MP. For the last 8 years, we have been working tirelessly for the people of Amravati district. During the corona period, we served lakhs of people by lending a helping hand. Anandrao Adsul, ex-MP, had no contribution in the development of Amravati district and is trying defame me,” she alleged. “Our work of public service will continue,” said Navneet Rana.