Court Clears Navneet Rana in Caste Certificate Case, Trial to Continue Against Father

Mumbai: A Mumbai metropolitan magistrate court has discharged former Member of Parliament and BJP leader Navneet Rana from a criminal case linked to allegations of submitting a forged caste certificate, bringing her temporary legal relief in a long-running controversy. The court, however, ruled that proceedings against her father Harbhajan Rana will continue.

The case originated from a complaint filed by a social activist, who alleged that the caste certificate used by Navneet Rana while contesting the Amravati Lok Sabha constituency, reserved for Scheduled Caste candidates, was not genuine. Acting on the complaint, the Mulund police had registered an FIR and later filed a chargesheet naming both Rana and her father as accused.

After examining the material placed on record, the magistrate concluded that there was insufficient evidence at this stage to proceed against Navneet Rana personally. As a result, she was formally discharged from the case. The court, however, found that the allegations against her father warranted further examination, allowing the trial against him to move forward.

The legal dispute over Rana’s caste status has seen multiple twists over the years. Earlier, the Bombay High Court had cancelled her caste certificate, observing that it had been obtained through misrepresentation. That ruling had cast serious doubt on her eligibility to contest elections from a reserved constituency.

However, in April 2024, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court’s decision and restored Rana’s Scheduled Caste certificate. This intervention cleared the way for her to contest the Lok Sabha elections, even as criminal proceedings linked to the certificate continued separately.