Navneet Rana wins relief from SC in caste certificate case, files nomination

The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed the validity of the ‘Mochi’ caste certificate of Lok Sabha MP Navneet Kaur Rana, who was recently announced as the ruling Mahayuti’s candidate for the Amravati (reserved) constituency in Maharashtra.

An independent candidate backed by the NCP in 2019, she filed her nomination on Thursday. Amravati goes to polls on April 26.

A Bench headed by Justice J.K. Maheshwari set aside a Bombay High Court verdict of June 2021, which had cancelled the caste certificate on the ground that it was obtained using fabricated documents.

Navneet Rana takes out a rally before filing her nomination from the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday.

The High Court had concluded that she belonged to the ‘SikhChamar’ caste and imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on her. “The application (for caste certificate) was made intentionally to make a fraudulent claim to enable Ms. Rana to contest the election for the post of Member of Parliament on a seat reserved for a Scheduled Castes candidate,” it had said.

The court had passed the order on a plea seeking cancellation of the certificate issued by the Mumbai Deputy Collector’s office on August 30, 2013 identifying her as a member of the ‘Mochi’ community.

Shiv Sena leader Anandrao Adsul had filed a complaint with the Mumbai District Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, which ruled in Ms. Rana’s favour and validated the certificate. He had then approached the High Court.

The complaint had alleged that Ms. Rana had obtained the certificate with the influence of her husband, Ravi Rana, who was a member of the Maharashtra Assembly.

Deputy CM and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said the ruling was a tight slap on the faces of her detractors. “The SC’s blessings have come on the day Ms. Rana has filed her nomination. On counting day [ June 4], she will get the public’s blessings and be elected with a huge majority,” he said at a rally for Ms. Rana in Amravati.

Thanking the apex court for its decision, Ms. Rana alleged that several political leaders had targeted her merely because she was “a woman who hailed from an ordinary family of a former Army man”.