Solapur- “People like us, who belong to nomadic tribes and live in slums, have only one concern: what happens to ambitious, studious children like me, who want to fulfill their families' dreams? Because of the lack of documents, nobody helps them,” says Bhagat Sanju Katare, expressing his pain in these words. He is a representative of a community that is not officially registered as citizens at the government level. Bhagat is a 22-year-old young man who lives in a slum near the railway station in Barshi city, Solapur district, Maharashtra. He was born into the Katari community, a nomadic tribe. The Katari community is included in the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category.

About three to four decades ago, Bhagat's father, Sanju Katare, settled in Barshi city. Since then, they have been living in a hut built on railway land. Many families from various nomadic tribes have settled in that slum. However, railway officials prohibit them from building tin sheds or permanent shelters. The railway officials only allow them to live in huts; otherwise, a notice is immediately issued. As a result, they often face eviction drives.

Because the Katari family does not own a house, they lack a permanent address.  Without an address, they are not registered in government documents, and because they are not included in government records, they cannot avail themselves of any government schemes. Due to these systemic flaws, the Katari family is deprived of basic amenities. It is because of this that Bhagat has had to stop his education midway.

Thanks to the help of teachers from the government primary school near the slum, Bhagat was able to access education. He is the first student in his family to receive an education. Being a bright student in school, his secondary school teachers also encouraged him and helped him with his education. In 2021, he passed the 10th-grade examination of the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education with 74 percent marks. After passing his 12th grade from Zhadbuke College in Barshi, Bhagat started preparing for competitive exams like police recruitment and began physical training. He consistently tried for government jobs for about two years. However, the lack of a caste verification certificate brought a halt to Bhagat's progress.

Due to the lack of necessary documents to apply for a caste verification and non-creamy layer certificate, he is forced to apply for competitive exams under the open category, where a higher merit score is required. Bhagat does not have the money for classes, books, and library access needed for competitive exams. On the other hand, to earn a livelihood, he has to do his traditional work of making household items from wood. Because of this, he cannot study full-time. Since he cannot apply for reserved seats based on his social backwardness, he is being denied opportunities.

Bharat expressed his frustration about having to stop his education. He says, "We don't have an electricity connection at home. Earlier, we had a kerosene lamp. I used to study by its light. I studied very hard, but because the documents are incomplete and no one helped me, my entire journey has stopped. The pain of not having electricity at home cannot be explained to anyone else. Half of my life has been spent in darkness, and now, because of the lack of documents, I see only darkness ahead in my life."

Bhagat's father also did the traditional work of making wooden items. However, he passed away in 2008. After his father's death, his mother, Binnu Katari, took care of Bhagat and his siblings. However, in 2021, Bhagat's mother also passed away. Bhagat needs his parents' death certificates for his school-related work. However, he is so unfortunate that he doesn't even have his own birth certificate, and his parents' death certificates cannot be obtained due to administrative policy flaws.

"I applied for my mother's death certificate in September 2024. The lawyers took the money. I spoke to the Tehsildar. But I haven't received the death certificate to this day," says Bhagat.

If there is no record of the parents' birth, or at least their death, on what basis will this system provide a caste certificate to their child? This raises a serious question. Because in Maharashtra, if citizens from the OBC community want a caste certificate, they have to submit valid proof. To obtain an OBC caste certificate, the applicant needs caste proof from before 1967 of their father or a close relative, a school leaving certificate, ration card, Aadhaar card, and income certificate.

Government schemes and policies in India are determined based on social and economic conditions. Caste proof is a major criterion for these schemes. But many students like Bhagat cannot prove their caste. Regarding the difficulties he faced in proving his caste, Bhagat says, "Administrative officers ask for documents. But we were speechless. I was born at home, so there is no record in the hospital. Even after 25 years, I don't have a birth certificate. Who should I ask for help from in the community? There is no one who is educated, wealthy, or well-connected. We have no one to support us."

In Maharashtra, several cases have come to light where students from upper castes have obtained fraudulent caste certificates and availed themselves of tribal reservations. Due to such cases, administrative officers demand substantial evidence, which is in accordance with the law. However, this makes it difficult for nomadic and denotified tribes to provide primary evidence. Due to the lack of primary evidence, the Katari family is unable to benefit from various Maharashtra and Central government schemes such as housing, ration cards, and the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme.

Bhagat also described how they face natural and man-made difficulties due to the lack of permanent shelter. "We are nomads; today we are here, tomorrow we are somewhere else. When it rains, our documents get washed away, or sometimes everything burns down in a fire. Once, a drunk man set our hut on fire, and all my documents were destroyed."

Bhagat's words reflect the helplessness he feels after discontinuing his education. "I spent 10-15 years studying, during which time I had no income, and even after studying, I didn't get a job. If I hadn't pursued education, I could have at least earned money by making wooden items," he said.

Bhagat makes wooden items all day. His sister and brother take these items to sell in markets or fairs. They have to travel more than 50 km from Barshi city to sell these items. Each person earns barely ₹300 a day. Earning ₹300 per person and making a living on that is the only stability this family has.

Woodworking

The frustration expressed by Bhagat, a first-generation student from a nomadic tribe, highlights the gap in social development and the existing disparities. Therefore, it is necessary to create an alternative system to address the evidence-based and unjust policies that are currently in place. For example, in India, there is a scheme to provide free/subsidized rations under the NFSA (National Food Security Act). More than 20 crore beneficiary families receive rations every month through this scheme, benefiting over 80 crore people. However, there are many families like the Bhagat family who do not have a ration card. They lack the necessary documents to apply for one. This example clearly illustrates the shortcomings of evidence-based policy-making in India.

Communities that fail to prove their caste identity do not resort to legal battles as they cannot fight the local administration. The court has given exemption to nomadic communities to present evidence in adversarial situations in the document-centric system regarding caste certificates.

In 1994, the Supreme Court commented in detail on the process of denial of social status in the case of ‘Kumari Madhuri Patil vs. Additional Commissioner’. The court has ruled that no one’s social status cannot be denied merely for lack of technical documents. The ethnic traits, traditions and the reality of migration of the community should be considered.

In the same framework, the Bombay High Court has also stated in several cases that it is unjust to deny rights to nomadic communities on the basis of lack of educational or land records prior to 1967.

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court, in its judgment of 11 August 2025 in Dnyaneshwar Dongare v. In the ST Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee judgment, the court has considered the traditional customs, rituals and traditions of the castes as important to prove caste. The court has ruled that it is wrong to reject a caste claim if the ‘affinity test’ is the only basis. From this, it seems that the court’s judgment has given a strong alternative to the document-centric administrative policy.

The question of identity is not just about documents but also about constitutional existence. No one can be deprived of education, food, social protection due to lack of ration card, address or permanent residence. Therefore, pushing anyone into the ‘open category’ is a violation of Article 14 (equality) and Articles 15-16 (equal opportunities). That is why the court has given. In the Puttaswamy judgment in 2017, the Supreme Court has given fundamental recognition to the right to identity of an individual.

Refusal to register a death is wrong in law, this also has a legal basis. Not getting the death certificate of any citizen of the parents is also a violation of the law. This is a direct violation of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 and the Right to Public Service Act (RTS) of Maharashtra. Bhagat Qatari's education was stopped due to administrative difficulties and should be considered a violation of the right to live with dignity under Article 21 (Right to Life with Dignity).

The superficial battle for caste certificate is not just an administrative one but a challenge to judicial decisions and constitutional provisions. This is not just a question mark on the process of proving caste but also on the process of implementing democracy. The State Backward Classes Commission should try to reduce administrative apathy by following the orders of judicial decisions. Bhagat's failure in caste recognition is not an example of how the constitutional, judicial and administrative levels fail to implement a comprehensive policy. Which should be considered a historic strategic defeat.

Caste Census: The Greatest Hope

The last caste-based census in India was conducted over 100 years ago. There has been no caste-based census in India since 1931. In 1990, the Indian government provided reservations in education, employment, and later in local politics to Other Backward Classes (OBCs), similar to Dalits and Adivasis. This policy was implemented based on estimated population figures. Due to the lack of accurate data, there are many flaws and shortcomings in the policies for Other Backward Classes. Consequently, adequate financial provisions are not made by the government for OBCs in proportion to their population.

The demand for a caste-based census in India began in the 1990s. In 2011, the then central government announced that it would conduct a caste-based census. However, in 2016, the then central government stated that there were discrepancies in the caste-based census data and released all the information except for the caste-based figures. The caste-based population data is expected to be released in 2027. After that, accurate information about nomadic tribes and communities will be recorded by the government.

Proposed Policy Interventions

This will allow people without documents to be "registered" for the first time. The unrecorded communities within the Nomadic and Denotified Tribes will be counted. The caste census can be considered as collective evidence, allowing for relaxation of the requirements for individual proof of caste. Collective reality can be accepted instead of individual proof. For this, census registration is essential. Similarly, the customs, traditions, cultural practices, and languages ​​of Nomadic communities can be considered strong evidence for proving caste identity. 

Simplifying the process of proving caste will allow many to legally establish their identity. Caste-based census data will serve as a tool for administrative reforms, information systems, historical corrections, and inclusive policy-making. The identified community will be able to avail the benefits of policy schemes based on socio-economic classification criteria, and the first stage of social development will be completed.