11. wp 5174-11.doc RMA IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 5174 OF 2011 Ramesh Bhiku Supekar .. Petitioner Vs The State of Maharashtra & Ors .. Respondents Mr. Milind Deshmukh for the Petitioner Mr. C.R. Sonawane, AGP for Respondent Ns. 1 to 3 CORAM : D. D. SINHA & SMT. V.K. TAHILRAMANI, JJ DATE : 24th AUGUST, 2011. P.C.: 1. The learned counsel for the petitioner seeks leave to correct the date of the impugned order mentioned in prayer clauses (b) and (c). The request is being of a formal nature, appropriate corrections be accordingly carried out forthwith. 2. Heard the learned counsel for the petitioner and learned AGP. 3. The Writ Petition is directed against the order dated 18th April 2007 passed by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Pune whereby the caste claimed by the petitioner 1 11. wp 5174-11.doc as Mahadeo Koli came to be invalidated by the Caste Scrutiny Committee. 4. Considered the contentions canvassed by the respective counsel and perused the impugned order. 5. Perusal of the impugned order shows that the documentary evidence available before the Committee pertaining to grandfather of the petitioner namely Shankar Pandu Supekar i.e Admission Extract of Primary School dated 1st April, 1928 wherein the caste mentioned as 'Hindu Koli'. Similarly, the Primary School Admission Extract of the uncle of the petitioner namely Pandu Shankar Supekar dated 29th May, 1968, the caste mentioned as 'Hindu Koli'. It is no doubt that in the School Admission Extract of the father of the petitioner, the caste mentioned as 'Mahadeo Koli'. However, the same is of the year 1966 and therefore, the Caste Scrutiny Committee was justified in relying upon the old Admission Extract of 1928 pertaining to grandfather of the petitioner by keeping out of the consideration the Admission Extract pertaining to father of the petitioner. It is well settled that the oldest document has a grate probative value as against the other documents and therefore, the order of the Caste Scrutiny Committee, in our view, is just and proper and needs no interference. 2 11. wp 5174-11.doc 6. In the circumstances, the petition suffers from lack of merit and accordingly, the same is dismissed. [ SMT. V.K. TAHILRAMANI, J ] [ D. D. SINHA, J ] 3