Bhayandar : A BJP corporator from the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) faces disqualification after her the Divisional Caste Verification Department, Konkan Bhavan, has now issued an order to cancel her caste certificate. Saraswati Rajnikant Mayekar of BJP had defeated her nearest NCP rival Narmada Vaity, by a slender margin of 80 votes to wrestle Ward No. 4 (A), which was reserved for women under the Other Backward Caste (OBC) category. Challenging Mayekar’s caste status, Vaity, filed a writ petition (No.9260/2012) in the Mumbai High Court, claiming that the Mayekar’s OBC certificate was procured by misrepresenting facts, as she according to her claims did not belong to the Macchimar (Daldi) community. In reply to the petition, a divisional bench comprising Justice Mrs. Mridula Bhatkar and Justice A.S. Oka had remitted the matter for re-verification of the caste certificate to the Caste Scrutiny Committee in April this year. As per the court directives both the parties were at liberty to submit additional documentary evidence before the committee to substantiate their defense and claims. The verification panel found that documents submitted by Mayekar did not establish that she belong to the OBC category and passed orders to cancel her certificate. Apart from facing an apparent disqualification shortly from the civic administration, Mayekar also faces penal action under sections of the Caste Certificate Act and also under the relevant sections of the IPC.
