- 1 - IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO.6596 OF 2007 ... Sarita Sushant Chopade ...Petitioner v/s. State of Maharashtra & ors. ...Respondents ... Mr.S.S.Patwardhan for the Petitioner. Mr.C.R.Sonawane, AGP for State. Mr.S.U.Sadavarte for Respondent No.3. ... CORAM: D.K.DESHMUKH & V.M.KANADE, JJ. DATED: 16TH JANUARY, 2008 - 2 - P.C.: 1. Rule. Returnable forthwith. Heard finally by consent of parties. 2. The Petitioner by this petition challenges the order passed by the Caste Scrutiny Committee holding that though the Petitioner originally belonged to Mahar-caste because she converted herself at the time of her marriage to Christianity, she does not belong to Mahar-caste, which is a schedule-caste. 3. Admitted position is that the Scrutiny Committee has relied on a report submitted by the Vigilance Squad. It is also an admitted position that the impugned order was made by the Scrutiny Committee without supplying a copy of the report of the Vigilance Squad to the Petitioner and without giving the Petitioner an opportunity to submit her point of view in relation to that report. This clearly shows that the order of the Scrutiny Committee has been made in violation of the principles of natural justice and therefore, it is liable to be set aside. - 3 - 4. In the result, therefore, the petition succeeds and is allowed. Rule is made absolute in terms of prayer clause (a). The matter is remitted back to the Scrutiny Committee for hearing and decision in accordance with law. (D.K.DESHMUKH, J.) (V.M.KANADE, J.)