1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY APPELLATE SIDE, BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO.5345 OF 2010 1. Vishnu Dashrath Adhav, Age 26 years, Occ. Labour, R/o At Nila, Post Wadgaon, Tq. Sonpeth, District Parbhani. 2. Sau. Jijabai Baburao Avachar, Age 55 years, Occ. Household, R/o At Nila, Post Wadgaon, Tq. Sonpeth, District Parbhani. ... PETITIONERS VERSUS 1. The State of Maharashtra, (Through Department of Rural Development, Mantralaya, Mumbai – 400 032) (Copy to be served upon Government Pleader, High Court, Bench at Aurangabad) 2. The State Election Commission, through Commissioner, State Election Commission, Mumbai. 3. The Divisional Caste Scrutiny Committee, Aurangabad Region, Aurangabad, through Secretary, Divisional Caste Scrutiny Committee, Aurangabad. 4. The Collector, Parbhani, District Parbhani. 5. The village Panchayat, Nila, Tq. Sonpeth, District Parbhani. ... RESPONDENTS (Respondent Nos.2 & 5 deleted with the leave of the Hon’ble Court) 2 ..... Shri P.D. Bachate, Advocate holding for Shri S.S. Patil, Advocate for the petitioners Mrs. A.V. Gondhalekar, A.G.P. for respondents ..... CORAM: P.V. HARDAS & N.D. DESHPANDE, JJ. DATED: 21st June, 2010 ORAL JUDGMENT (PER HARDAS, J.) 1. At the outset, Mr. P.D. Bachate, learned counsel for the petitioners seeks to delete respondent Nos.2 and 5. Leave granted at the risk of the petitioners. Rule. Rule returnable forthwith. With the consent of learned counsel for the parties, this petition is heard finally at this stage. 2. By this petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India, the petitioners pray for issuance of a writ directing the Committee to decide the caste claims of the petitioners within three months. 3. The petitioners seek to delete prayer clauses (B) and (D) to the petition. Leave granted at the risk of the petitioners. 4. The petitioners, who are vying to contest the elections scheduled to be held shortly in respect of Village Panchayat Nila, 3 Taluka Sonpeth, District Parbhani, had submitted their caste certificates which came to be referred to the Scrutiny Committee on 29/5/2010. Since the elections are likely to be declared shortly, we allow this petition and direct the respondent Scrutiny Committee to expeditiously decide the caste claims of the petitioners preferably within three months. We accordingly direct the petitioners to appear before the Scrutiny Committee on 28/6/2010 and expect the Committee to decide it within three months of 28/6/2010. 5. Rule is thus made absolute on the above terms with no order as to costs. (N.D. DESHPANDE, J.) (P.V. HARDAS, J.)