The Uttarakhand High Court has disposed of a petition regarding the caste certificate of recently elected Rishikesh Municipal Corporation Mayor, Shambhu Paswan, and directed the District Magistrate of Dehradun to investigate the certificate and take a decision within four weeks.
DM Dehradun, Savin Bansal, stated that in compliance with the High Court’s order, a committee has been formed. After receiving the report, a detailed investigation will be carried out and submitted to the court.
The petition was filed by independent candidate Dinesh Chandra Master, who alleged that Shambhu Paswan had identified himself as a member of a Scheduled Caste during the Rishikesh municipal elections. The petitioner claimed that various registered documents do not reflect Paswan’s caste status. Despite submitting a formal request to the DM, no investigation was initiated. Furthermore, even after filing a request under the Right to Information Act, the caste certificate was not made available.
Now, following the High Court’s directive, a committee has been constituted to verify Shambhu Paswan’s caste certificate.
