In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld a High Court decision allowing a Respondent to claim reservation as a Hindu Ganiga under Category II-A of Karnataka's reservation policy, despite the Respondent's father's caste being recorded as 'Lingayat' in school records. The Court held that a Lingayat-Ganiga is not barred from claiming Ganiga caste benefits and that pre-Constitution registered documents showing the great-grandfather's caste as 'Ganiger' and caste certificates of relatives corroborated the claim. The Court found that the Caste Verification Committee's report was valid despite being issued quickly and that school records alone cannot override historical documentary evidence of ancestral caste. The appeal challenging the Respondent's appointment was dismissed.
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