Elder sister Suchita applied for a reserved seat at the DYC Naik Medical College on grounds that she was Scheduled Tribe ‘Mahadeo Koli’ though she had been refused a caste certificate. By dint of filing a writ petition in high court, she secured directions allowing her to continue her studies on the seat.
When the case reached the apex court, it came down hard on the lower court, the administration and the girls’ father, accusing him of “feigned ignorance” of his ancestry
Two years later, Madhuri joined a BDS course. Her application ended up with the Verification Committee cancelling both sisters’ certificates. Extensive inquiry showed the Patils belonged to the Koli caste, an OBC, not an ST.
When the case reached the apex court, it came down hard on the lower court, the administration and the girls’ father, Patil, accusing him of “feigned ignorance” of his ancestry. It did, though, feel “no useful purpose would be served” in stopping Suchita from appearing for her final year MBBS exams, while upholding cancellation of the social status as Mahadeo Koli “fraudulently obtained.”
However, the court said Madhuri “cannot continue her studies with her social status as Mahadeo Koli, and the concessions which she might have got on that account (unless) she was eligible for obtaining admission as a general candidate.” Madhuri was at the end of her second year of BDS at the time.
