Bombay HC Grants Interim Stay on Congress Leader Rashmi Barve’s Caste Certificate Cancellation

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court granted an interim stay on the cancellation of Congress leader Rashmi Barve’s caste validity certificate but declined to intervene in the nomination process for the Lok Sabha polls.

Barve’s certificate was revoked by the Nagpur caste scrutiny committee recently, preventing her from contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Ramtek (SC) seat in Vidarbha, despite her candidacy being announced.

Barve, in her petition, argued that the decision of the caste scrutiny committee and the state social justice department was illegal and politically motivated. She sought a stay to enable her to participate in the Lok Sabha elections.

A bench comprising Justices Avinash Gharote and M S Jawalkar granted an interim stay on the Nagpur caste scrutiny committee’s decision to cancel Barve’s caste validity certificate.

The court, while issuing notices to the state government and other respondents, however, declined to halt the poll nomination process.