Latest news with #ScheduledTribesandOtherBackwardClasses
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Official issues 357 ST certificates during colleague's half day off, booked
Vadodara: An official in Mahisagar district is in trouble for issuing 357 scheduled tribe (ST) certificates in four hours, even when he was not authorized to do so. The speed at which the certificates were issued meant one was put out every 42 seconds. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This speed could have set efficiency records but instead got the official a case registered against him. J J Pandya, was posted as deputy mamlatdar (civil supplies) in Kadana taluka of Mahisagar district. He went on the certificate issuing spree on June 23, 2023, between 2pm and 6.10pm, while holding charge for his colleague, deputy mamlatdar (revenue) K S Bariya, who was on a half-day casual leave (CL). Bariya was holding charge of the post of mamlatdar of Kadana taluka as the mamlatdar, P S Bhuriya, was on leave from June 20, 2023, to June 25, 2023. Bariya needed half a day off for personal work and left the office after giving the charge of deputy mamlatdar (revenue) to Pandya in the second half of the day on June 23, 2023. Pandya was not handed charge of the post of Kadana mamlatdar. ST caste certificates can be issued only by the mamlatdar or the person officially holding charge in his place. Pandya, between 2pm and 6.10pm on June 23, 2023, issued as many as 357 ST caste certificates. Mahisagar resident deputy collector C V Lata said this came to the notice of the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) and an inquiry was ordered. After the inquiry, the SDM ordered that an offence be registered against Pandya, who is presently posted as a circle officer in the office of the mamlatdar of Khanpur taluka in Mahisagar district. Kadana police inspector H B Gameti said they were in the process of collecting documents related to the offence. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "According to the law, we will have to issue a notice to him and call him for questioning," said Gameti. Pandya has been booked under Sections 464 and 468 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 14(2) of the Gujarat Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of Caste Certificates) Act 2018.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Under Secretary dismissed from service over ‘fake' caste certificate
The Gujarat government has dismissed an under secretary of the legal department after it was found that a caste certificate, which declared her a tribal, was fake. The General Administration Department of the state government has recently passed the order to terminate services of Laxmi Katariya under the provisions of The Gujarat Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of Caste Certificates) Act, 2018. She was first appointed as a Section Officer following her selection as a Scheduled Tribe candidate through a competitive exam. She was given a regular appointment in the Finance Department. Subsequently, she was promoted as the Under Secretary and appointed to the Legal Department. However, the departmental scrutiny committee for the verification of caste certificate had ordered to cancel Katariya's caste certificate after finding it was fake. The committee also informed the authority concerned to take action as per the provisions of Section 11 and 12 of The Gujarat Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of Caste Certificates) Act, 2018. Section 11 of the Act provides that if a person has secured job on a seat reserved for a particular caste on a false caste certificate then such a person's caste certificate will be cancelled and the person will be liable to be debarred from the appointment forthwith. Section 12 of the Act has provisions for cirminal offence and punishment. This follows a recent case where Assistant Commissioner of Police, Surat City, B M Chaudhary, was dismissed from service after his caste certificate, which too showed he was a tribal, was found to be fake. A criminal case had been lodged against Chaudhary as well.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
FIR filed against ex-ACP for using fake ST certificate
Surat: Umra police of Surat city have booked former assistant commissioner of police (ACP) B M Chaudhary for allegedly obtaining a fake Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate and using it to secure a job as a police sub-inspector. Chaudhary also got a promotion to the ACP rank in 2024 based on this caste certificate. The police action came on the basis of a complaint filed by Surat district social welfare officer Mukesh Gamit. His office received a communication in Oct 2024 from the Tribal Development Department and Gujarat Vigilance Commission that the ST certificate of Bapubhai Motibhai Chaudhary (B M Chaudhary) was fake. Chaudhary was removed from govt service last week with just one month left in his service. He was ACP of K Division of Surat city police at the time of his removal. The govt action came after he failed to produce any proof to demonstrate that he belonged to the ST community despite he being given 15 reminders and opportunities over the past three years. In Jan 2021, Godhara-based Adijati Vikas Trust president Pravin Pargi had filed a complaint with the govt that Chaudhary's ST certificate was fake. Based on the complaint, an investigation was launched by the Surat district social welfare office as the ST certificate had been issued to Chaudhary by this office in 1990. According to the law, it is the responsibility of Chaudhary to prove that he belonged to the ST category. The certificate of his school showed his caste as 'Hindu Taili', which is not included in castes under the ST category. As he failed to prove that he belonged to a Scheduled Tribe (ST), it was recommended to the govt that his ST certificate be considered "cancelled and seized". As Chaudhary was an ACP, a class-1 officer, he was given 15 opportunities over the past three years through letters and reminders. But he did not respond. The FIR was filed under Sections 12 (1) (a) and 12 (1) (b) of the Gujarat Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of Caste Certificates) Act, 2018.
