Activist to challenge clean chit to Mayor

In a much needed respite for Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) Mayor Dimple Mehta, the District Caste Committee ( Mumbai) has given a clean chit in a case challenging the validity of her caste certificate based on which she was crowned the first citizen of the twincity in August 2017.

Aggrieved by the decision, the petitioner has rolled up his sleeves to knock the doors of the judiciary. Mehta had bagged the mayoral chair on the virtue of her claims of belonging to the Hindu Darjia caste which has been recognized as Other Backward Class (OBC). However the validity of her caste certificate was challenged by social activist Pradeep Jangam under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Class and Special Backward Categories (Regulation of Issuance of Verification of) Caste Certificate Act. The committee acceded to submissions made by the Mayor, thus giving her a clean chit.

“Law states that an OBC applicant has to submit a domicile certificate with a cut-off date fixed as October 13, 1967. However, the rent receipt which is that of a tailor shop has been deliberately ignored. How can a commercial entity be considered as dwelling to obtain domicile. Moreover, the tenant of the shop was Punabhai Devanand Bhai who happens to be the Mayor’s cousin’s paternal great grandfather. This apart from various lapses in ground realities made by the committee,” questioned RTI activist Rohit Suvarna who said that the decision will soon be challenged in the High Court.