In Brief
The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's judgment and a Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee's order invalidating the appellant's Koli Mahadev caste claim. The Court held that a pre-Independence 1943 school admission document showing the appellant's grandfather as Koli Mahadev carried greater probative weight than post-Independence records or an inconclusive handwriting expert opinion. The Court also clarified that the affinity test—comparing applicants' current customs and traditions to tribal characteristics—is not a litmus test for caste validity, especially as communities modernise and migrate. The Court allowed the appeal and directed the Scrutiny Committee to issue a Caste Validity Certificate within six weeks.
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