(1) WP 1048.2011 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO. 1048 OF 2011 Narayan S/o. Vishvanath Potdar PETITIONER VERSUS The State of Maharashtra and ors. RESPONDENTS ..... Mr. V.C. Patil, Advocate for the Petitioner. Mr. V.D. Rakh, A.G.P. for the Respondent-State. Mr. V.D. Gunale, Advocate for respondent no.7 None present for other respondents though served. ..... CORAM : B.R. GAVAI AND M.T. JOSHI, JJ. DATED : 8TH SEPTEMBER, 2011 ORAL ORDER: 1. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard by consent. 2. The petitioner has filed the present Petition for a direction to the respondent nos. 3 and 4 to change the entries in his school record pertaining to his caste from Gadi Lohar to Sonar. The petitioner contends that the documents pertaining to his father would reveal that his father's caste is recorded as Sonar. The impugned order dated 9.12.2010 has been passed by the respondent no.4 on the ground that he has no jurisdiction to do so. (2) WP 1048.2011 3. We find that the stand taken by the respondent is not tenable in law. The Division Bench of this Court, in Writ Petition no. 4264 of 2009, relying upon the Govt. Resolution No. GAC-1083/89/SE-2, dated 16th March, 1983 read with clauses 12 to 15 of Appendix six of the Secondary School Code, has taken a view that even after a student has left the school, the Education Officer has jurisdiction to effect change in the entries with respect to the caste, date of birth etc. We, therefore, find that the stand taken by the respondent no.4 was not justified in not considering the claim of the petitioner. 4. We therefore allow the Petition with the following directions:- I) The petitioner shall make an application to the respondent no. 4 within a period of two weeks from today. II) The petitioner shall appear before the respondent no.4 alongwith all the documentary evidence within a period of two weeks from today. (3) WP 1048.2011 III) Respondent no.4 on receipt of the petitioner's application after giving an opportunity of hearing to the petitioner, would take a decision and pass appropriate order in accordance with what has been observed by us herein-above, within a period of four (4) weeks therefrom. 5. Rule made absolute in the aforesaid terms with no order as to costs. [M. T. JOSHI, J.] [B. R. GAVAI, J.] arp/