A magistrate's court in Mumbai delivered a significant verdict on Wednesday, discharging Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Member of Parliament Navneet Rana in a long-pending caste certificate case. However, the legal ordeal is not over for her family, as the court has ordered that her father, Harbhajan Singh Kundles, will continue to face trial on multiple charges including cheating and forgery.
The Origins of the Legal Battle
The case traces its roots back to 2014 when a social activist approached the judicial system with serious allegations. The complainant alleged that Navneet Rana and her father had prepared forged documents and submitted a false affidavit to fraudulently obtain a 'Mochi' caste certificate. The 'Mochi' community is recognized as a Scheduled Caste in the state.
Frustrated by the initial inaction of the police on his complaint, the activist moved the magistrate's court directly. This judicial intervention proved crucial. In March 2014, the magistrate directed the police to conduct a thorough investigation. Following this order, an First Information Report (FIR) was officially registered at the Mulund police station, setting the stage for a protracted legal process.
A Decade-Long Judicial Journey
The path to Wednesday's discharge order was neither short nor straightforward for Navneet Rana. After the police completed their probe and submitted a chargesheet, Rana sought discharge from the case. In August 2022, the magistrate court rejected her initial plea for discharge. Undeterred, she challenged this decision in the sessions court.
Her efforts there also met with a setback when the sessions court upheld the magistrate's decision and rejected her plea in December 2022. The latest chapter in this legal saga unfolded in April 2025, when her legal team filed another discharge application before the magistrate's court, which has now resulted in her discharge.
Separate Legal Troubles for the Rana Duo
It is noteworthy that this caste certificate case is not the only legal issue Navneet Rana has faced in recent years. In a separate and highly publicized incident in 2022, both Navneet Rana and her husband, independent MLA Ravi Rana, were chargesheeted. The charges stemmed from allegations that they obstructed police officers during their arrest.
That arrest occurred after the couple had publicly announced their intention to recite the Hanuman Chalisa outside the private residence of the then Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, in Mumbai's Bandra area. This case remains distinct and separate from the caste certificate proceedings.
The court's decision brings partial relief to the BJP leader, but the case will proceed against her father, Harbhajan Singh Kundles. The ruling highlights the complex and often lengthy nature of legal proceedings in such sensitive matters involving allegations of document forgery for obtaining caste-based benefits.
