Minister Pratima Bagri calls caste row publicity stunt:High Court orders scrutiny panel to decide on certificate dispute within 60 days

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed the state-level scrutiny committee to decide within 60 days on the caste certificate dispute involving Urban Administration Minister Pratima Bagri.
The petition was filed by Congress Scheduled Caste Department state president Pradeep Ahirwar, questioning the validity of the minister’s caste certificate. While disposing of the matter on April 24, the court left the final decision to the scrutiny committee. Minister calls allegations a publicity stunt Responding to the controversy, Minister Pratima Bagri termed the allegations a “publicity stunt.”
She said, “This is not new; it has been happening for years. I was not born yesterday. Even earlier, I had said this is only for limelight. They themselves backed out of the previous petition. I have not received any official communication yet. Whenever the scrutiny committee asks for documents, I will submit them.”
Bagri also pointed out that legislators from the Bagri community have been associated with the Congress in the past. Congress counters: ‘Your light is about to fade’ Reacting to the minister’s remarks, Pradeep Ahirwar said, “I am not doing this for publicity. Your time in the spotlight is about to end. I am fighting for the community.” What is the caste certificate controversy? Ahirwar has alleged in his petition that Pratima Bagri obtained a Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate fraudulently to avail reservation benefits. Based on this, she contested and won the election from the Raigaon seat in Satna district and later became a minister. Congress claims Bagri community not listed as SC The Congress leader claims that the Bagri caste is not included in the SC list in the concerned region and alleges that the minister actually belongs to the Rajput (Thakur) community. The petition cites Census data from 1961–71, a 2003 committee decision, and a 2007 Central Government gazette notification to support the claim that the “Bagri” caste is not part of the SC category. Earlier petition withdrawn, fresh plea filed with new documents Ahirwar had earlier filed a similar petition but later withdrew it. He has now approached the court again with additional documents. Following the April 24 hearing, the High Court directed the scrutiny committee to deliver its decision within 60 days.