SC declines to hear PIL seeking verification of ST certificate

New Delhi, Feb 25 (PTI) The Supreme Court today refusedto entertain a PIL seeking a direction to all stategovernments and union territories to verify the authenticityof caste certificates of their Schedule Tribe employees.

A bench headed by the Chief Justice S H Kapadia declinedto pass any order on the PIL asked the petitioner to approachHigh Courts of the states on this issue.

The petition was filed by All India Adivasi EmployeesFederation which alleged many people have managed to getgovernment jobs on the basis of fake caste certificates and aproper inquiry is needed to verify their authenticity.

Advocate Anil Kumar, appearing for the Federation,submitted governments have not complied with the guidelinesframed by the apex court in 1995 for issuing castecertificates.

"In a random check of caste certificates, CBI found 30percent holder of fraudulent ST certificates in centralgovernment. In Maharashtra, 55 percent of certificatesscrutinized were found invalid," he said adding the benefit ofa reserved seat in education and employment to an impostor isa fraud on the Constitution.

"CBI team verified only a sample of 235 castecertificates. 106 were genuine while 77 (33 percent) werefound to be forged/false," he said adding the Centre has"failed" to make uniform rules for issuance and verificationof caste certificates as asked by the apex court earlier.

The court, however, was not convinced with hisarguments and asked him to approach the High Courts.