07 May 2025 Civil Appeals >> Civil & Consumer Law   |   Education >> Miscellaneous  

The Supreme Court of India recently disposed of an appeal in the matter of Anand Sheshman Patel Vs The Registrar North Maharashtra University & Another, concerning a student who was denied his mark sheets and degree certificate despite completing his B.Tech (Chemical Engineering) course, due to the belated invalidation of his caste claim. The case highlights issues of administrative delays and their impact on students' careers.

The appellant, who had sought admission to a B.Tech (Chemical Engineering) program under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category, had his caste certificate sent for verification to the Scrutiny Committee in 2015. Despite the passage of time and the appellant appearing for his final year examination, the committee failed to make a timely decision on his caste claim. This compelled the appellant to approach the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Bench at Nagpur, in 2017.

In a judgment dated February 10, 2020, the High Court criticized the "callous attitude" of the Scrutiny Committee members for the undue delay in deciding the appellant's claim. The High Court not only directed the committee to decide the claim within a stipulated period but also imposed costs of Rs. 75,000/- on the three members of the Scrutiny Committee, payable to the appellant.

Subsequently, the appellant's caste claim was invalidated. Following this, the respondent college withheld his mark sheets and degree certificate. This led the appellant to file another writ petition before the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, which dismissed his plea on the grounds that his admission was against an OBC reserved seat and his claim had been invalidated.

Upon appeal, the Supreme Court, after hearing Ms. Shilpa Giratkar, counsel for the appellant, acknowledged the extraordinary circumstances of the case. The Court noted that the appellant had already completed his engineering course and emphasized that his education deserved protection.

In its order, the Supreme Court directed the respondents to release the appellant's mark sheets and degree certificate within four weeks. However, the Court explicitly clarified that the appellant would no longer be entitled to any benefits available to members of the OBC Category. The Supreme Court also stressed that this order was passed solely due to the "peculiar facts and circumstances of the case" and should not be treated as a precedent for future cases.