BJP MLA Amit Gorkhe alleges fake certificates used to enter SC quota, seeks sub-classification

BJP MLA Amit Gorkhe has alleged that people from other categories have obtained fake certificates by exploiting similarities in names, in connection with the sub-classification of Scheduled Caste (SC) reservation. According to him, this has encroached on the rights of the genuinely deprived, and the burden falls on the very sections that are truly backward.

Citing the report of the study committee on SC reservation sub-classification, Gorkhe expressed serious concern over this infiltration of the quota. He alleged that people from other categories have entered SC reservation through fake certificates by relying on similar names. He said that as a result, the genuinely backward and most deprived sections are left out of education, jobs and government benefits.

The MLA demanded that the government order a prompt and thorough inquiry into these fake certificates. He also said the decision on sub-classification should not be put off on the pretext of census or population figures. In his view, on the lines of Punjab and Haryana, sub-classification of reservation should be implemented in Maharashtra at once, with being "most deprived" as the main criterion.

Gorkhe also recalled that the Supreme Court had ruled on August 1, 2024 that there should be sub-classification within the Scheduled Castes and that castes left behind should get justice. He said sub-classification has already been carried out in the other four states on the basis of that ruling. He demanded that it be implemented in Maharashtra as well at the earliest.