Case study on caste certificate - creamy layer confusion

One OBC applicant applied for caste certificate in one of the Blocks of Industrial areas several months ago. Her case was processed and recommended to concerned caste certificate issuing authority from the block office.

• Applicant's father works in a PSU and annual income is more than  Rs 4.5 lakhs from salary ( Above cut off income for creamy layer). 
• Father is not Class I or A group officer before age 40.
• Application was rejected by Certificate Issuing Authority on the basis of creamy layer, ignoring the facts that while calculating income salary is not to be considered.
• Applicant approached the authority through RTI and personally to know the grounds of rejection of her application and was intimated that her father comes under creamy layer based on income criteria.
• Being dissatisfied with the decision of the authority she approached several constitutional authorities dealing with safeguard of interests of OBCs/ Minorities and got clarifications that she is eligible to get the OBC certificate. 
• Finally, she called District Magistrate Burdwan on mobile and requested to intervene in the matter. I generally get such calls from unknown public on mobile verify frequently and always try to respond to all the calls or call back.
• She was asked to come to the office during visiting hours last week. She came and showed all documents and clarifications. I got the documents examined by my office in half an hour and convinced that rejection of application is not right and office of certificate issuing authority possibly erred in decision making if documents produced by the applicant are to be believed. 
• Applicant is pursuing her Ph D in Delhi in a reputed university. Her mood clearly reflected a sense of disappointment and agitation for not getting the desired OBC certificate.
• It is known that apart from confusion about non applicability of creamy layer against salary income, the contention of the certificate issuing authority that certificate of income from employer should be not be more than two months old was not properly communicated to the applicant.
• Though, certificate issuing authority was right in not issuing OBC certificate on the grounds that the employer certificate on income is not latest, it is felt that claims of the applicant could have been heard in person and recorded while rejecting the case. Necessity of latest empoyer certificate should have been told convincingly.
• Finally, the Caste Certificate issuing authority issued the certificate within next two hours after intervention, realising the genuine error in Judgement. Applicant collected her OBC certificate. It is matter of satisfaction that her anger and disappointment is changed into appreciation for administration for quick redress of her long pending grievance. She sent formal thanks through sms.

One may check guidelines and procedure at http://www.anagrasarkalyan.gov.in/orders/Recent/rvisd_guidelines_obc-cert.pdf...

May email from problems/ grievances at dm-burd@nic.in.