Summary: Chetan Methrana Shinde's claim to belong to the 'Phase-Pardhi, Scheduled Tribe' was initially turned down. However, a recent court decision has given him another opportunity to prove his case.
On January 16, 2026, the Bombay High Court looked into Chetan Methrana Shinde's case. His claim to be part of the 'Phase-Pardhi, Scheduled Tribe' was rejected by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee in Pune. The committee said Chetan didn't provide enough proof, like old documents from before the Indian Constitution was adopted, to back up his claim.
Chetan showed a certificate proving his cousin, Shubhada Mansoor Shinde, was validly recognized as part of the tribe, dated March 27, 2019. But the committee didn't accept it because there weren't enough records to show their family connection. Chetan also gave an affidavit from Mansoor Shinde, Shubhada's father, but the committee still wasn't convinced.
"The Committee should independently figure out why the affidavit by Mansoor Shinde showing the Petitioner’s relationship with Shubhada cannot be trusted."
Chetan's father's school leaving certificate, which mentioned their caste as 'Hindu Raj Phase-Pardhi,' was also included as evidence. Since the document was from after the Indian Constitution was adopted, it was seen as less important. However, the court said these documents shouldn't be ignored just because they're not from before the Constitution.
The court, led by Judges M.S. Karnik and S.M. Modak, decided to give Chetan another chance. They canceled the committee's initial decision and sent the case back for another look. Chetan has been asked to appear before the committee on January 29, 2026, with any more documents or affidavits he can gather.
The court told the committee to review Chetan's case within six months. This gives Chetan a new chance to collect more evidence and make a stronger case for his caste claim.
"The Petitioner to appear before the Committee on 29/01/2026 at 11:00 a.m. It is open for the Petitioner to produce additional documents/additional affidavit in support of his caste claim."
This decision shows how important it is to have complete and thorough documents in caste verification cases and provides hope for those seeking fairness through the legal system.
