Government departments lock horns, non-creamy layer, caste certificates take the hit

On Tuesday, under the aegis of the Maharashtra State Revenue Officials Organisation, Pune branch, revenue officials put up their demand before Pune District Collector Saurabh Rao. In their letter, the officials said they stopped accepting applications for caste and non-creamy layer certificates from March 3.

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The officials have demanded that the social justice department be entrusted with the responsibility of issuing and verifying the certificates.

The revenue officials said they were already burdened with the regular revenue work and this added work would put more pressure on them. They said the state government had decided to form caste scrutiny committees, and that the government had assured them that the social justice department would be asked to do the job. “Despite these assurances, the work continues with the revenue branch and we are already burdened with enough work,”said a revenue official.

Speaking to Newsline, Rao said: “I will forward the demand to the state government and also speak to the social justice department on the issue. Largely, we should not let the people be affected.”

Social justice department officials, who did not wish to be named, however, said the chief minister was to take a call in the matter.

In the wake of huge pendency in the issuance of caste validity certificates by various caste scrutiny committees in the state, the Bombay High Court had recently taken serious cognisance of the matter and directed the state government to follow a list of 18 directives and also file a compliance report in the form of an affidavit on May 5. The court, while hearing a public interest litigation filed by Pune-based Ravindra Talpe, had directed the state government to implement the directives before April 30.

The PIL filed through Advocate Uday P Warunjikar last October had raised important issues regarding the functioning of the competent authorities as well as caste scrutiny committees set up by the state government.-creamy layer, caste certificates take the hit