-1- IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 5074 OF 2008 Madhukar Govind Chavan ).. Petitioner Versus State of Maharashtra and others ).. Respondents Mr R.K. Mendadkar for the Petitioner. Mr A.L. Patki, Special Counsel, for the State. CORAM: SWATANTER KUMAR, C. J. & A. P. DESHPANDE, J. DATED: 15TH JULY 2008. P.C. We have heard the learned Counsel appearing for the Petitioner. Challenge in this Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India is to the order dated 15th March 1993 passed by the Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Pune, vide which the Committee, after appreciating the relevant documents, came to the conclusion that the Petitioner does not belong to Thakar, -2- Scheduled Tribe community and as such his claim towards the same was held to be invalid. It was also recorded that the Petitioner belongs to caste Thakar, purely a non-tribal group, and consequently the certificate granted by the Executive Magistrate, Satara vide No. SR-7 dated 21st August 1989 was cancelled and confiscated. 2. Now after a lapse of more than fifteen years, the Petitioner wishes to challenge the correctness and legality of this certificate. The contention raised before us is that the Petitioner was not aware of this order and came to know of the passing of this order only by the reply filed by the Respondents in Writ Petition No.3304 of 2008 and thus there is no delay in approaching the Court. This explanation ex facie is incorrect if not false. As per the facts averred in the Petition, the Petitioner was selected for an appointment in Maharashtra State Road Transport Department in the year 1989 in reserved category of Scheduled Tribe. However, he was not given any appointment in that Department in furtherance to the selection as the Petitioner could not produce the caste validity certificate and he had not received any reply from the Respondent committee. This explanation can hardly be believed inasmuch as the Petitioner had obviously claimed to be -3- belonging to Scheduled Tribe, reserved category, for seeking employment. As per his own admission, he was selected for appointment in the Maharashtra State Road Transport Department in reserved category and he was not given that employment. The reason is obvious that, in the meanwhile, his certificate which was under investigation was cancelled. We are not inclined to believe the explanation rendered for such inordinate delay of fifteen years. The Petitioner himself slept over his rights, if he had in law. Besides this inordinate and unexplained delay, the person who does not come to the Court with correct facts can hardly seek any relief under Article 226 of the Constitution of India which is an equitable jurisdiction of the Court. The Petition suffers from the defect of delay and laches and even otherwise the Petitioner is not entitled to any relief. Writ Petition dismissed. No order as to costs. CHIEF JUSTICE A. P. DESHPANDE, J.