Cancellation of councillor’s caste certificate ordered

Team Herald 

PANJIM: The district administration has been directed to cancel the caste certificate issued to Mapusa councillor Swapnil Shirodkar with the Scrutiny Committee for Verification of Caste Certificate invalidating the OBC certificate issued to him way back in 2010. 

The Committee comprising of chairman W V R Murthy, expert member Jayant Tari and member Venancio Furtado observed that Shirodkar failed to provide documentary evidence to prove he belongs to Nhavi Community, which is notified in the OBC list. 

The order comes based on an inquiry, which was set up following a complaint by Jawaharlal Shetye, a resident of Mapusa alleging that Shirodkar had obtained the OBC certificate on the basis of false evidence and it was affecting the interest of the masses of the ward represented by the councillor. “The mandatory requirement for obtaining OBC certificate is that the individual applying for OBC status has to produce migration certificate of his or her parents who have migrated to Goa from any other State. It is mandatory to obtain migration certificate if the migration is prior to 1968. However, Shirodkar’s father Nagesh Vilas Mahale was resident of Kathinkon village, Karwar since his birth,” he stated. The complaint further pointed out that Mahale’s SSC examination was in 1969 which establishes he did not migrate to Goa prior to Presidential Order in 1968. 

Shetye said the samaj organisation failed to scrutinise the authenticity of the document produced by Shirodkar. He also alleged that Shirodkar had changed his name and surname by adopting unlawful method.

Shirodkar denied claims that his father migrated only after 1972 claiming that his father worked as home guard prior to working with Captain of Ports. He argued that the complainant has a track record of filing frivolous complaints against elected representatives. 

The committee, on hearing both the parties, observed that Shirodkar failed to produce document to fulfill his entitlement for the OBC certificate as per the required guidelines in the State and directed the deputy collector, Mapusa to cancel his caste certificate within 10 days.