Caste certificate case: A Supreme Court bench ruled in favour of Ms Rana.
The Supreme Court today overturned the Bombay High Court's decision to cancel the caste certificate of Amravati MP and BJP leader, Navneet Kaur Rana. This verdict comes as a big relief for Ms Rana, who is the BJP's candidate for the Amravati Lok Sabha seat and is expected to file her nomination today.
A Supreme Court bench comprising justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol, ruled in favour of Ms Rana, stating that the High Court had erred in interfering with the scrutiny committee's report on her caste certificate. The High Court had previously revoked Ms Rana's 'mochi' caste certificate, alleging fraudulent procurement using fabricated documents on June 8, 2021. Additionally, it imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on Rana, asserting that records indicated her belonging to the 'Sikh-Chamar' caste.
Ms Rana, who clinched the reserved Amravati parliamentary seat in Maharashtra as an independent candidate in 2019, has recently joined the BJP and is poised to contest from the same constituency. Expressing her optimism ahead of filing her nomination papers, Ms Rana said this electoral opportunity represents a monumental occasion for both her and the constituents of Amravati.
"I have been working for the people of my region for many years. This is a big day for me and my constituency. This is the first time that voters in Amravati are getting a chance to vote for the nation-building, development and benefit of the nation," she said, as quoted by news agency ANI.
"The people of my constituency are happier than me. They are happy that for the first time, the lotus symbol will appear on the ballot box. The people will directly support and vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi," she added.
Ms Rana entered politics following her marriage to BJP leader Ravi Rana. Initially aligning with the NCP, she contested her inaugural election from Amravati in 2014, but faced defeat.
Maharashtra's 48 parliamentary constituencies will go to polls across five phases: April 19, April 26, May 7, May 13, and May 20.
During the 2019 elections, the BJP secured victory in 23 out of the 25 seats it contested, while the unified Shiv Sena clinched 18 out of 23 seats it vied for. In the 2014 elections, the BJP claimed 23 seats and Shiv Sena 18. The NCP won 4 seats, whereas the Congress managed merely 2 seats.