Bhiwandi: The membership of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) corporator Farzana Mohammad Suleman Ansari has come under a cloud after the District Caste Certificate Verification Committee declared her ‘Ansari’ Other Backward Class (OBC) caste certificate invalid.
The three-member committee, headed by Revati Gaikar, took the decision unanimously after examining the documents, written submissions and the report of the scrutiny squad. The committee has also directed the concerned authorities to initiate further action regarding the certificate and withdraw the election-related benefits obtained on its basis.
Farzana Suleman Ansari was elected from Ward No. 4-A, which was reserved for an OBC woman, in the Bhiwandi-Nizampur City Municipal Corporation election. She had contested the election on the basis of an ‘Ansari’ OBC caste certificate issued by the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer’s Office on August 12, 2022.
The caste claim was challenged by defeated Samajwadi Party candidate Iram Ahmed Hussain Ansari, who approached the District Caste Certificate Verification Committee with an objection. During the proceedings, various documents and written evidence were submitted before the committee for verification of Farzana’s caste claim.
According to the objection and documents examined by the committee, discrepancies were found in the caste entries appearing in the educational records of Farzana and her family members. Farzana’s school leaving certificate reportedly mentions ‘Muslim’ in the caste column. Her father, Suleman Ahmed Majid Momin, is stated to have ‘Islam Sunni’ recorded in his school leaving certificate, while the school leaving certificates of her siblings reportedly mention ‘Islam Julaha’.
The committee examined these records along with other documents submitted during the proceedings and also considered the report of the scrutiny squad. After evaluating the available evidence, the three-member committee concluded that the caste claim could not be accepted and declared the ‘Ansari’ OBC caste certificate invalid.
The committee has directed the Bhiwandi Sub-Divisional Officer to seize and cancel the caste certificate and submit a compliance report regarding the action taken. The order also invokes Section 10 of the Maharashtra Scheduled Castes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta Jatis), Nomadic Tribes, Other Backward Classes and Special Backward Classes (Regulation of Issuance and Verification of) Caste Certificate Act, 2000.
The committee has further directed the concerned election authority to withdraw the benefit obtained in the election on the basis of the caste certificate. The direction has potentially serious implications for Farzana Suleman’s continuation as a municipal corporator, as her seat was reserved for an OBC woman.
However, the immediate cancellation of her membership will depend on the subsequent administrative and legal process and the action taken by the competent authorities. The committee’s order has nevertheless intensified the political and legal uncertainty surrounding her position in the municipal corporation.
Complainant Iram Ahmed Hussain Ansari said she had written to the State Election Commission and the Municipal Commissioner, demanding cancellation of Farzana Suleman’s municipal membership.I have written to the State Election Commissioner and the Municipal Commissioner seeking cancellation of her municipal membership. The ball is now in the Municipal Commissioner’s court Ansari said.
Attempts were made to contact Farzana Mohammad Suleman Ansari for her response. However, she could not be reached, and her reaction was unavailable at the time of publication.
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