Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Monday granted interim relief to an 18-year-old Occupational Therapy (OT) student by directing the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) to allow her to appear for her first-year examinations, despite a pending dispute over her caste validity certificate.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Nitin Sambre, the administrative judge for the Nagpur bench, issued notices to the Nagpur Scheduled Tribe Caste Scrutiny Committee, the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik, the School of Occupational Therapy, and the GMCH. The court directed all respondents to file their replies by July 29.Yashashree Gharat, a resident of Ramna Maroti Nagar in Nagpur, was barred from appearing for her exams that began on June 28 as she did not possess a valid Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate. The scrutiny committee had recently rejected her claim to the ‘Mana’ ST category, putting her admission in jeopardy.Challenging this action, Gharat filed a writ petition through her counsel Shailesh Narnavare, seeking permission to appear for the examination while her case remains under consideration. Taking note of the urgency and potential academic setback, the court directed GMCH to allow her to sit for the exams.“This is a matter concerning a student’s future and must be addressed with urgency and fairness,” the bench observed.Assistant Government Pleader Kalyani Marpakwar appeared for the respondents.
