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Bombay High Court penalizes scrutiny committee, secures student's admission after undue caste certificate delay, and orders Rs. 3 lakh compensation.
Keywords - Bombay High Court, Caste Certificate Delay, Student Admission, Rs. 3 Lakh Cost, Committee Accountability
In a recent verdict, the Bombay High Court has taken decisive action against the Chairperson and members of the District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Mumbai Suburban, by imposing a significant cost of Rs. 3 lakhs. The court's ruling stems from the "extreme stress and inconvenience" caused to a student, Iqra Ansari, due to a prolonged delay in the issuance of her caste validity certificate.
Iqra Ansari, a 21-year-old student admitted to the BHMS Degree Course in 2019 under the OBC category, faced a critical setback when her caste validity certificate, ready on July 24, 2019, was only delivered to her on February 17, 2020. The deadline for submission of this certificate was September 30, 2019, which jeopardized her admission to the college.
Acknowledging the delay and accepting responsibility for it, the Scrutiny Committee tendered an apology for their unjustifiable actions. The Bombay High Court, in a previous hearing, had already recognized Ansari's contention and directed her results to be declared and permitted her to appear for examinations.
In its recent verdict, the High Court directed relevant authorities to grant approval for Ansari's admission to the BHMS Degree Course retroactively from her initial admission date. Furthermore, it held the Chairman and members of the Scrutiny Committee jointly and severally liable to pay a cost of Rs. 3 lakhs to the petitioner within eight weeks, with potential salary deductions for non-compliance.
The court ordered the compensation to be paid to Tata Memorial Hospital on behalf of the petitioner, as per her request. This decision underscores the court's commitment to ensuring that government bodies are held accountable for unnecessary delays that could harm deserving candidates.
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