Caste certificate cancellation by the Deputy Commissioner alone, without a Committee decision, is without jurisdiction.

The petitioner held a caste certificate issued on 30 March 2007 identifying him as “Adi Dravida” and obtained appointment at DRDO against a Scheduled Caste reservation

Following a complaint, the District Caste Verification Committee ordered cancellation of the certificate on 24 June 2015; the Tahasildar subsequently cancelled it on 13 December 2018

The petitioner challenged both orders, contending, among other things, that the Committee’s order was made without notice and was signed only by the Deputy Commissioner, rather than being a decision of the Committee

On the Court’s request, the respondents produced file documents, which disclosed no proceedings showing that the Committee had considered or made the decision

Rule 4 of the Karnataka Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Reservation of Appointments Etc.) Rules, 1992, was invoked as requiring the Committee to decide the validity of a caste certificate; the Deputy Commissioner alone could not exercise the Committee’s authority

The Court held that where the record contains no proceedings demonstrating a Committee decision, an order purporting to cancel a caste certificate cannot be sustained as the Committee’s decision

The Court examined the records produced by the respondents and found no proceedings, apart from the impugned order, showing that the Committee had participated in or made the decision

It therefore concluded that the cancellation order was made by an authority not competent to act in place of the Committee

Because the Tahasildar’s order followed from that invalid cancellation, it was consequential and could not stand independently

It remitted the matter to the District Caste Verification Committee for fresh proceedings in accordance with law, directing the petitioner to appear on 5 November 2026 and requiring the Committee to provide him a reasonable opportunity of hearing