State Caste Certificate High Level Certification Scrutiny Committee has cancelled Scheduled Tribe (ST) status of Richa Jogi, daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister late Ajit Jogi. In this regard, Member Secretary of the High Level Certification Scrutiny Committee and Director of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribal Department Shammi Abidi has issued an order. According to the order, Richa Jogi failed to produce the records of her claims of being from the Gond tribe before the Scrutiny Committee. Richa Jogi’s father Praveen Raj Sadhu’s name, who was a government employee, was mentioned as Christian in the land record and so he belonged to the general category. Even Richa Jogi’s father had not taken benefit of ST during study.

 

On this basis, the High Level Certification Scrutiny Committee cancelled the ST certificate of Richa Jogi, issued by Mungeli Sub Divisional Magistrate on July 27, 2020 under the Rule 23 (2) of Chhattisgarh Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes (Regulation of Social Status Certification) Rules, 2013. Richa Jogi had applied an online application for caste certificate and the Mungeli district administration issued her ST caste certificate. Later, Richa Jogi’s caste certificate was challenged. A seven-member District Screening Committee (DLSC) Mungeli headed by Additional District Magistrate Rajesh Nashine had suspended the Scheduled Tribe status of Richa Jogi in the month of October, 2020.

 

The DLSC had sent Richa Jogi’s caste related matter to the High Level Certification Scrutiny Committee for decision. Richa Rupali Sadhu, daughter of Praveen Raj Sadhuhas failed to produce her original documents before the DLSC so the Committee suspended the ST status of Richa Jogi. The DLSC had directed the Mungeli Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) to issue an order for suspension of the caste certificate of Richa Jogi. After this decision, this caste certificate could not be used by Richa Jogi in Marwahi by-poll and her nomination was rejected by the District Election Officer.