24 years later, fake claim costs man his job

Times of India: Ahmedabad: Thursday, 19 March 2015.

Ishwar Baviskar's caste certificate obtained on basis of fake caste claim got him a job with Nadiad municipality over two decades ago. But his enthusiasm for using atrocity laws against politicians and colleagues has proved to be his undoing.

On basis of information obtained under Right to Information, he has not only been sacked but also asked to return all the benefits he received during 24 years in service. The benefits from him will run into nearly Rs 25 lakh.

Baviskar's fake claim about being a Scheduled Caste (SC) was exposed after another Scheduled Caste member filed applications under RTI seeking details about him. Baviskar got a job in 1991 as a junior compounder, allegedly by furnishing a SC certificate acquired through fake claims. However, the community he belongs is not in the SC category in Gujarat.

In 2013, Baviskar levelled atrocity charges against nine persons, including local politicians and municipality employees. A local court ordered investigation on his complaint. One of the accused was Maulik Shrimali, a local politician who is also an employee of Ambedkar Open University. Shrimali, however, decided to seek information about Baviskar under RTI.

The information provided by various departments disclosed that Baviskar lied to the government to obtain a caste certificate and, on basis of this, not only got admission in various courses but also secured a job. The information about Baviskar getting an SC certificate on the basis of false claims, was sent to the state government.

Following this revelation, additional chief secretary M S Dagur has decided to dismiss Baviskar from service. The government has also decided to recover the money paid to him during service. Sources in the municipality said that this amount may come to nearly Rs 25 lakh.

Shrimali claims that Baviskar filed false atrocity cases with ulterior motives. "He belongs to Mahar community from Maharashtra which is not a Scheduled Caste in Gujarat. The Nadiad municipality recruited 27 persons in the last two years despite the National Commission for Scheduled Castes asking it not to go ahead with their recruitment," alleged Shrimali.