{1} IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE OF BOMBAY BENCH AT AURANGABAD WRIT PETITION NO.5940 OF 2009 Pooja Jayprakash Rathod Minor Through Guardian Kamla Subhash Rathod R/o Birsa Munda Niwas Ranjangaon Road, Pandharpur Tq & Dist-Aurangabad PETITIONER VERSUS 1. State of Maharashtra Through Secretary, Tribal Development Department, Mantralaya, Mumbai 2. The Sub Divisional Officer, Aurangabad, Tq & Dist-Aurangabad RESPONDENTS ....... Mr.A.D.Pawar, Advocate for petitioner Mr.V.B.Ghatge, AGP for respondents No.1 and 2 ....... [CORAM : P.V.HARDAS, and A.V.POTDAR, J.J.] DATE : 8th September 2009 ORAL JUDGMENT (PER P.V.HARDAS, J.) : 1. Rule. Rule returnable forthwith. With the consent of learned counsel for the parties this petition is heard finally at the stage of admission. 2. We have heard Mr.Pawar, learned counsel for petitioner and {2} Mr.Ghatge, learned AGP, who accepts notice on behalf of respondents No. 1 and 2. 3. The limited relief, which the petitioner has prayed for in this petition is for issuance of a writ to respondent No.2 for deciding the application submitted by the petitioner seeking caste certificate. According to the petitioner, the petitioner has complied with all the formalities, which were expected of the petitioner and the necessary report from the Circle Officer has also been received by the Sub Divisional Officer. According to learned counsel for the petitioner, the aforesaid application is pending consideration for more than 6 months. 4. In the light of that, therefore, we direct the Sub Divisional Officer to decide the said application, if the same is pending, in accordance with law, within a period of 4 weeks from today, if the aforesaid application is riped for hearing, in the sense, that there are no shortcomings in the application at the instance of the petitioner. 5. Petition is accordingly allowed and Rule is made absolute on the above terms with no order as to costs. Learned AGP undertakes to communicate this decision to the Sub Divisional Officer, Aurangabad. Copy of this order duly authenticated be provided to learned AGP to act upon. [A.V.POTDAR, J.] [P.V.HARDAS, J.] drp/wp5940-09