In Brief
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal of Navneet Kaur Ravi Rana, a candidate who won a reserved (Scheduled Caste) parliamentary seat from Amravati, Maharashtra. Her caste certificate (Mochi) was challenged by losing candidates who alleged forged documents. The High Court had quashed the Scrutiny Committee's validation of her caste claim. The Supreme Court held that the High Court exceeded its supervisory jurisdiction by re-appreciating evidence without showing perversity or malice. The Scrutiny Committee, an expert forum, had properly verified documents including a college bona fide certificate and a 1932 tenancy deed proving pre-independence genealogical links. The Court restored the Scrutiny Committee's validation order, holding that validating a genealogical caste claim from pre-independence era does not indirectly amend the Presidential Order.
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