NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has decided to participate as an intervener in the case of former chief minister of the state Ajit Jogi before the Chattisgarh High Court.
During a recent meeting, the Commission decided to act as an intervener and engage two private advocates in the matter. Jogi has been accused of allegedly obtaining a caste certificate in which he claimed to be a tribal.
A high-level scrutiny committee by the Chattisgarh government had earlier cancelled his caste certificate.
“The Commission has decided to become an intervener in the case as it wants to take up cases of fake certificates. Currently, an NCST official is engaging with advocates to figure out what the way ahead.
The Commission takes the issue of fake certificates very seriously, especially in a high profile case like this,” said S K Ratho, NCST joint secretary.
According to the Commission, this would send a strong message against the procurement of false certificates.
“There are significant numbers of fake caste certificates across states. The number of cases is very high in Maharashtra,” said Ratho.