HC orders Pune girl to be admitted through RTE quota based on mother’s caste certificate

Bombay High Court ruled a child cannot be recognised solely by father's caste, ordering admission of Arohee Jadhav based on mother's caste certificate.

Justice NJ Jamadar directed authorities to admit Arohee Jadhav, 6, to Aditya English Medium School in Pune through RTE quota by July 31.

The court struck down orders that denied admission because her mother, Ranjana Jadhav, could not produce her late husband's caste certificate.

The bench said the rejection had the propensity to deprive the child of her fundamental right to free and compulsory education under the RTE Act.

Ranjana Jadhav, a domestic worker from the Dhangar community, had submitted her own caste certificate after her husband's death in December 2021.