Quick Summary: In a recent decision, the Bombay High Court overturned a ruling by the Scrutiny Committee that had rejected Akshay Uttam Gaikwad's claim to belong to the 'Koli Mahadeo' Scheduled Tribe. The court ordered that he be given a certificate confirming his caste, but with a condition.
On January 19, 2026, the Bombay High Court, with Judges M.S. Karnik and S.M. Modak, listened to the case of Akshay Uttam Gaikwad against the State of Maharashtra. Akshay's claim to his caste was previously rejected by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee in Nashik. The problem? They doubted whether his claim to the 'Koli Mahadeo' Scheduled Tribe was real.
Akshay's father and 20 other close family members had already received certificates confirming their caste. However, these certificates were supposedly given without a detailed check. The court noted that while an investigation was done, it wasn't thorough enough according to the government's lawyer.
The court referred to a previous case involving Apoorva d/o Vinay Nichale, stressing that if close family members have confirmed caste certificates, the same should apply to Akshay. The judges said:
"If the family relationship is proven or not questioned, and one relative is confirmed to belong to a certain caste, there is no reason to spend public time or money testing the same evidence."
The High Court canceled the Scrutiny Committee's earlier decision and instructed them to give a caste certificate to Akshay within six weeks. However, the court added a condition: if there are any negative decisions about Akshay's father's certificate, it would also affect Akshay's certificate.
The court decided that Akshay should receive his caste certificate, but if his father's certificate is later questioned or revoked, Akshay's certificate could also be affected. This decision shows the court's effort to balance careful checking with recognizing family connections.
