Plea in Bombay HC seeks dismissal of Sameer Wankhede for fabrication of caste certificate – India Today

A writ petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court challenging the appointment of Sameer Wankhede through the Schedule Caste quota in the Indian Revenue Services. Wankhede is currently working as Narcotic Control Bureau’s (NCB) zonal director in Mumbai.

The petitioner, a social worker named Ashok Mahadev Kamble, had earlier complained to the Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee which is looking into the allegations against Sameer Wankhede.

Kamble’s petition, filed through advocate Nitin Satpute, stated that Sameer Wankhede had secured the job in civil service by hiding the fact that he was a Muslim. The plea states that when Wankhede’s father married Zaheeda Bano, after converting to Islam, he could no longer avail benefits of the Scheduled Caste category.

Kamble stated that in the year 1993, there was a declaration changing Sameer Wankhede’s fathers name from Dawood to Dnyandev Wankhede, but there was no change in the religion of Wankhede on the basis of the said declaration. On the basis of this, the sub-registrar corrected his name to Dnyandev Wankhede in the birth certificate and father’s name was corrected.

All this was done only to get college admissions from Scheduled Caste student quota, claims the plea.

Kamble has relied upon various documents to substantiate his claim that Wankhede’s religion was never changed and he remained a Muslim.

Wankhede married Dr Shabana Qureshi by performing the nikah ceremony. If a person is not Muslim, he cannot marry with a Muslim girl, the plea states. It added that Wankhede had not disclosed his real caste and religion while being inducted into the Indian Revenue Service in the scheduled caste category.

Kamble claimed that the Constitution does not allow Sameer Wankhede to continue his service and was thus liable to be dismissed from the civil service.

Kamle said that he is dissatisfied with the stand taken by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of not reviewing appointment of Wankhede over non-disclosure of his religion and that is why he has filed this petition.

The petition prays that the high court should direct the Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee to ascertain caste claim of Wankhede.

“This court pe Please to direct Union of India and Union Public Service Commission to revoke, cancel appointment of Sameer Wankhede by dismissing him from the Civil Service after verifying caste and religion with further direction to take criminal action directing Mumbai police commissioner by filling Criminal Case against Sameer Wankhede for misleading and providing false information to the Public Servant,” the plea states.