Telangana HC upholds cancellation of ST certificates issued to Lambadi family from Maha

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has upheld the decision to cancel Scheduled Tribe (ST) caste certificates issued to a Lambadi family that migrated from Maharashtra to the then undivided Andhra Pradesh in 1956, stating that the cancellation was legally valid.

The case originated from a complaint filed by the district president of the All India Banjara Seva Sangh. Acting on the complaint, the district collector revoked the ST caste validation certificates of Chauhan Devanand’s family of Adilabad, prompting them to approach the High Court.

A single-judge bench had earlier upheld the collector’s order, leading the family members to file an appeal. Hearing the appeal, a division bench comprising Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya and Justice Gadi Praveen Kumar delivered its verdict affirming the lower court’s decision.

ST status applies only to Lambadis residing in Telangana as of 1950: HC

The bench clarified that the ST status applies only to Lambadis who were residing in Telangana as of 1950, as well as to those who migrated from Maharashtra before that year. Since the appellants had migrated only after 1956, they were not entitled to the benefits extended under the 1950 order, the court ruled.

The judges also found the petitioners’ claim that the All India Banjara Seva Sangh had issued valid caste certificates to be baseless.

Consequently, the bench concluded that there was no justification to interfere with the orders issued by the collector or the single-judge bench canceling the ST certificates.