PANJIM: St Cruz panchayat panch Lawrence Rodrigues, charged by the police with allegedly forging bonafide certificate to obtain OBC certificate, has been granted relief by the Scrutiny Committee of the Social Welfare Department that has validated his provisional caste certificate.
Members of Scrutiny Committee for Verification of Caste Certificate — Sanjay Kumar (Chairman, Jayant Tari (expert member) and Parag Nagarcekar (member), were hearing a complaint by Ganesh Chodankar and Inacio Pereira alleging that Rodrigues had fraudulently obtained the certificate to contest elections from a reserved ward.
St Cruz panchayat member Lourenco Marcelline Rodrigues had been booked in March, 2019 for allegedly forging a bonafide certificate to obtain an Other Backward Class (OBC) certificate during the panchayat election. Ganesh Chodankar, who contested against Rodrigues in the election, had lodged the complaint. Panjim police registered an offence under Sections 465, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code against Rodrigues.
Disposing the petition, Scrutiny Committee members said in the order that the allegation of the complainant that the respondent was residing in Mumbai and hence not entitled for caste certificate in Goa seem to be irrelevant as the respondent has placed on record ample materials of the documentary evidence to substantiate that prior to 19/02/1968, which is a cut-off-date to for determination of eligibility of caste status in the State of Goa, his ancestors were domiciled in Goa.
“Moreover, it is evident from the report submitted by the Vigilance Cell that four of the witnesses have deposed before the investigating authority that the respondent’s ancestors engaged in toddy tapping profession,” he said.
Accordingly the committee order says, “After bestowing our careful and meticulous consideration to the factual matrix of the circumstances and the submissions advanced by both the parties before the committee. This committee is of the sound opinion that the arguments and submissions put forward by the complainants above do not carry any legal force and hence complaints become weaker. Also, we do not find any procedural lapses in the Vigilance report forwarded by SP South.”
Further, the order says, the only course available before this committee is to adjudicate the matter in accordance with the guidelines stipulated by Supreme Court of India in the case of Kum Madhuri Patil v/s others wherein it said that if the report is in favour of the candidate and found to be genuine and true no further action needs to be taken except whether report or the particulars given are procured or found to be false or fraudulently obtained and in the latter event the same procedure as is envisaged in the SC guidelines.
“In the instant case the Vigilance Report submitted by the SP (South) has categorically revealed that the respondent’s father and his ancestors were involved in toddy tapping profession and hence respondents also inherit the profession of his father/ancestors,” the order reads.
It further says, “Accordingly the committee does not find any sound reason to deny the caste status to the respondent. As such the OBC certificate issued by the Deputy Collector verifying as Christian ‘Render’ Community to the respondent stands verified and valid.”
