The Supreme Court on Thursday restored the caste certificate of Navneet Kaur Rana, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) from Amravati Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra.

The order was passed by the Bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Karol on a petition filed by Rana challenging the Bombay High Court order that cancelled and confiscated her caste certificate, which validated her claim that she belonged to ‘Mochi’ Schedule Caste.

The Apex Court observed that in the instant case, the Scrutiny Committee duly considered the documents before it and passed its decision complying with the principles of natural justice.

It did not merit any interference under Article 226. In light of the discussion and the peculiar facts and circumstances of the case, it was allowing Rana’s instant appeals and setting aside the High Court order.

The development came just hours before Rana prepared to file her nomination papers as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Amaravati constituency, which is a reserved category constituency for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community members.

Navneet Kaur Ravi Rana was represented by Senior Advocate Dhruv Mehta represented.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal and Advocate Shadan Farasat appeared for the original petitioner before the High Court.

The State of Maharashtra was represented by Advocates Siddharth Dharmadhikari and Aaditya Aniruddha Pande.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta represented the Caste Scrutiny Committee.

Earlier on February this year, the Apex Court had reserved its verdict on Lok Sabha MP Navneet Kaur Rana’s plea challenging the Bombay High Court verdict cancelling her caste certificate. The High Court in June, 2021 had said the Mochi caste certificate was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents. The High Court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Amravati MP.

It further said the records indicated that she belonged to the Sikh-Chamar caste. A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Karol reserved its judgement on the plea of the independent lawmaker who represents Maharashtra’s Amravati constituency that is reserved for scheduled castes.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had stayed the high court verdict cancelling Rana’s caste certificate.

Navneet Rana, backed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), won from Amravati in 2019 while claiming she was a member of the Mochi caste.

A division bench of the Bombay High Court had asked NCP leader Rana to surrender the certificate within six weeks and asked her to pay the penalty of Rs 2 lakh to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority.

The court had observed that Rana’s claim of belonging to the Mochi caste for obtaining the scheduled caste certificate itself was fraudulent and made with the intention of obtaining various benefits provided to a candidate from such a category despite knowing she does not belong to that caste.

The Bombay High Court in its judgment remarked that the application for caste certificate was made intentionally to make a fraudulent claim to enable Rana to contest the election for the post of Member of Parliament on a seat reserved for a scheduled castes candidate.

The court had passed the verdict on a plea seeking cancellation of the caste certificate dated August 30, 2013 issued by the Mumbai deputy collector, identifying Navneet Rana as a member of the Mochi caste.

Notably, Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul had lodged a complaint with the Mumbai District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, which ruled in Rana’s favour and validated the certificate. He then approached the high court.

The Supreme Court recently reserved its verdict on Lok Sabha MP Navneet Kaur Rana’s plea challenging the Bombay High Court verdict cancelling her caste certificate. The high court in June, 2021 had said the Mochi caste certificate was obtained fraudulently using fabricated documents. The High Court had also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on the Amravati MP. 

It further said the records indicated that she belonged to the Sikh-Chamar caste. A bench of Justice JK Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Karol reserved its judgement on the plea of the independent lawmaker who represents Maharashtra’s Amravati constituency that is reserved for scheduled castes.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had stayed the high court verdict cancelling Rana’s caste certificate.

Navneet Rana, backed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), won from Amravati in 2019 while claiming she was a member of the Mochi caste.

A division bench of the Bombay High Court had asked NCP leader Rana to surrender the certificate within six weeks and asked her to pay the penalty of Rs 2 lakh to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority.

The court had observed that Rana’s claim of belonging to the Mochi caste for obtaining the scheduled caste certificate itself was fraudulent and made with the intention of obtaining various benefits provided to a candidate from such a category despite knowing she does not belong to that caste.

The Bombay High Court in its judgment remarked that the application for caste certificate was made intentionally to make a fraudulent claim to enable Rana to contest the election for the post of Member of Parliament on a seat reserved for a scheduled castes candidate.

The court had passed the verdict on a plea seeking cancellation of the caste certificate dated August 30, 2013 issued by the Mumbai deputy collector, identifying Navneet Rana as a member of the Mochi caste.

Notably, Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul had lodged a complaint with the Mumbai District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, which ruled in Rana’s favour and validated the certificate. He then approached the high court.

The Supreme Court has adjourned its hearing in the plea of actor-politician Amravati MP Navneet Kaur Rana against the Bombay High Court order which had cancelled her Scheduled Caste certificate. 

The Apex Court in June last year had stayed the order of the High Court which directed her to surrender the caste certificate alleging the same was obtained fraudulently. The High Court had directed that all consequences in law would follow which may occur on cancellation and confiscation of the fraudulently obtained caste certificate. Also, it had imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh on her to be paid to Maharashtra Legal Services Authority within two weeks. 

Today, a two-judge bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Aniruddha Bose has listed the matter for further hearing on February 23. The bench had to mediate between Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for the petitioner and respondent respectively as a squabble had ensued between the two. Justice Saran remarked “Yesterday you were not fighting when you appeared for the same side.”

Justice Bose speaking candidly to the Senior Advocates stated:

“The caste involved is that of a leather worker, in many states by different name it is identified, almost in all states, this category of workers fall in the SC category. So possibly in Punjab they became disciples of Ravidas, they got to be known by that name, so little bit of background may be given.”

On June 22, 2021, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Rana, had submitted that the terms “Mochi” and “chamaar” are synonymous, and the scrutiny committee had decided her caste status based on original records produced before it. Further,  he argued that the High Court decision was erroneous as it entered into factual determination in a writ petition, ignoring several documents. 

Rana, a former Telugu actor, contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 from Amravati, a reserved constituency by submitting a caste certificate issued by the Mumbai Suburban District Caste Scrutiny Committee. Shiv Sena leader and former Amravati MP Anandrao Vithoba Asdul and two other petitioners had approached the Bombay High Court claiming that Rana had obtained the caste certificate fraudulently.

In a temporary relief to Amravati Lok Sabha member Navneet Kaur Rana, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Bombay High Court judgment that cancelled her caste certificate. 

The Vacation Bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari set aside the High Court verdict and issued notice to Maharashtra and others including the person who had complained against the caste certificate of the lawmaker.

Observing that Rana has obtained a caste certificate belonging to Mochi Scheduled caste fraudulently using fabricated documents, the Bombay high court had cancelled it and also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on her. Thereafter, Rana moved the Apex Court challenging the verdict.

Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Amravati MP,  submitted that the terms Mochi and chamaar are synonymous, and the scrutiny committee had decided her caste status based on original records produced before it. Further,  he argued that the High Court decision was erroneous as it entered into factual determination in a writ petition, ignoring several documents. 

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the vigilance committee had found that many documents were fabricated.

The bench then asked Mr.Sibal to file a counter-affidavit in the matter.

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Meanwhile, former MP Anand Rao Adsul had filed the petition in the High Court against Rana alleging that she had filed a forged certificate. She got it validated fraudulently from the Caste Scrutiny Committee by producing fabricated and fraudulent documents, to be in the eligibility criteria of filing the nomination.

Rana contested from Amravati and won against Adsul. She had entered politics in 2014 on an NCP ticket but lost the election. However, in 2019, she contested as an independent and reached the Lok Sabha after winning the election.

The Bombay High Court has cancelled the caste certificate of Navneet Kaur Rana, the independent Lok Sabha MP from Amravati, a reserved Scheduled Caste seat. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on her.

A division bench of Justice R.D. Dhanuka and Justice V.G. Bishth directed Rana to surrender the caste certificate within six weeks. The court has further ordered her to pay the amount imposed on her as a fine to the Maharashtra Legal Services Authority within two weeks.

The petition was filed by former MP Anand Rao Adsul in the High Court against Rana alleging that she had filed a forged certificate. She got it validated fraudulently from Caste Scrutiny Committee by producing fabricated and fraudulent documents, to be in the eligibility criteria of filing the nomination.

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Rana contested from Amravati and won against Adsul. She had entered politics in 2014 on an NCP ticket but lost the election. However, in 2019, she contested as an independent and reached the Lok Sabha after winning the election. Her husband Ravi Rana is a Maharashtra MLA.