Fake Caste Certificate: Criminal Proceedings To Be Continue Against MP Navneet Rana

The Special Magistrate Court in Mumbai recently decided to keep the criminal proceedings on against Amravati MP Navneet Rana & her father.

This case was related to the fake caste certificate on remission until the Supreme Court decides the issue.

Earlier, the court rejected her discharge application and issued a summons to frame charges against the father-daughter duo.

In a criminal revision, Rana had challenged the order in the Mumbai sessions court.

Furthermore, Rana and her father are accused of forging a fake caste certificate. Rana was ordered by the Bombay High Court in 2021 to surrender her certificate after it concluded that it was obtained fraudulently.

The High Court in its order stated that “The application (for caste certificate) was made intentionally (by Rana) to make a fraudulent claim to enable her to contest the parliamentary election on a seat reserved for a Scheduled Caste candidate.”

Rana had then approached the Supreme Court, which stayed the high court order.

Meanwhile, Jayant Wanjari (Complainant) had registered a complaint based on which an FIR was registered before a chargesheet filed.

After the Sessions court order, Rana’s lawyers, Rizwan Merchant and Abhishek Mishra, filed an application to keep the criminal proceedings in abeyance.

Wanjari’s lawyer Sachin Thorat opposed stating that the proceedings in the Supreme Court were civil in nature, while the issue before the Magistrate court was criminal. Even the public prosecutor supported Thorat in court.

Mishra said Rana and her father would be appearing in court soon to get the non-bailable warrant and the proclamation proceedings initiated against Rana and her father, respectively.