17 June 2022
Sameer Wankhede challenges a caste committee decision upholding Nawab Malik’s locus standi [Bombay High Court]
Sameer Wankhede, a former Zonal Director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), filed an appeal with the Bombay High Court, challenging an order of the Mumbai Caste Scrutiny Committee that; denied his application to challenge the locus of Nawab Malik, who claimed; Sameer Wankhede forged his caste certificate.
A bench of Justices RD Dhanuka and Madhav Jamdar granted Wankhede’s counsel two days to amend the petition after Malik’s counsel raised a preliminary objection that; the petition should be heard on the original site of the High Court rather than; the appellate site because the entire cause of action is in Mumbai.
The case will be heard again on July 4, 2022.
Malik and three other people filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NSCS) in November 2021, seeking that; they take action against Wankhede.
The case taken up by; the Maharashtra District Caste Scrutiny Committee on NCSC’s orders, and Wankhede issued a show-cause notice.
Wankhede’s father, according to the complainants, a Muslim named ‘Dawood.’ For this, they; used Wankhede’s birth certificate.
Wankhede contends that; the committee should not have issued the notice without first examining his argument that the complainant lacks jurisdiction.
Wankhede claims that; he obtained a caste certificate for the scheduled caste ‘Mahar’ from the District Collector and that his certificate has never been denied by any authority.
His birth certificate and school records show that; father’s name is Dawood Wankhede and that; he belongs to the Muslim religion, which is now; corrected owing to incidental errors.
Wankhede has challenged the show cause notice in another appeal before the High Court, claiming that; it was illegitimate, arbitrary, and given without providing him with an opportunity to defend himself.
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