SC orders State Govt Committee to verify ST Certificate of Jogi

     Raipur, October 13, 2011: In a severe set back to former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, the Supreme Court today allowed the Chhattisgarh government to examine the controversial ST caste certificate of the Congress leader through a government committee.

     The Chhattisgarh government, through a duly-constituted Scrutiny Committee, would undertake the verification of the tribal certificates issued to Jogi, a bench of Justice R V Raveendran and Justice H L Dattu said.

     The State Government, through a duly constituted Scrutiny Committee, would now undertake the verification/scrutiny of the social status (tribal) certificates issued to Jogi, which was showing him as belonging to ‘Kanwar’ Scheduled Tribe and decide the matter after giving him due opportunity, uninfluenced by any observations by the Commission, High Court or the Supreme Court.

     The State Government would also be entitled to take consequential action on the basis of the order/report of the Scrutiny Committee, legal experts said.

     The state government had filed the special leave petition in the apex court challenging the clean chit given to Jogi by the Chhattisgarh High Court on December 15, 2006.

     The state government had submitted that the High Court had passed the order in favour of Jogi without properly examining the evidence on record and the findings of the National Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes which reportedly found prima facie evidence against the former chief minister.