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Caste Certificate
What is a Caste Certificate and Why is
it Needed?
A Caste Certificate is the proof
of one’s belonging to a particular caste, especially
in case one belongs to any of the ‘Scheduled Castes’,
as specified in the Indian Constitution. The Government
felt that the Scheduled Castes and Tribes need special
encouragement and opportunities to progress at the same
pace as the rest of the citizenry. As a result, as part
of the Indian system of Protective Discrimination, there
exist certain special privileges granted to this category
of citizens, such as reservation of seats in the Legislatures
and in the Government Service, waiving off a part or
the whole of the fees for admission to schools and colleges,
quotas in educational institutions, relaxation of upper
age limits for applying to certain jobs, etc. To be
able to avail these privileges, a citizen belonging
to a Scheduled Caste must be in possession of a valid
Caste Certificate.
The Legal Framework
The statutory lists of the Scheduled Castes and the
Scheduled Tribes, in pursuance of Articles 341 and 342
of the Indian Constitution, were notified for the first
time under the Constitution (Schedule Castes) Order,
1950 and the Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order,
1950. These lists have been modified/amended/supplemented
from time to time. On the reorganisation of the States,
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes List (Modification)
Order came into force from 29th October, 1956. Thereafter,
a few other orders in respect of the Scheduled Castes
and Tribes list in some individual States also came
into force.
What You Need to Do to Get a Caste Certificate
The application forms are available either online or
from the concerned local office in the City/Town/Village,
which is usually the office of the SDM (Sub-Divisional
Magistrate) or of the Tehsil or Revenue Department.
In case none of your family members have earlier been
issued a Caste Certificate, a local enquiry is conducted
before issuing the Certificate to you. Proof of residence
in your State for a minimum specified period, an affidavit
stating that you belong to a Scheduled Caste, and the
specified court stamp fee are required at the time of
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