Allahabad HC Flags Phonetic Caste-Name Fraud, Asks State to Consider Software-Based SC/ST Certification

A PIL over ‘Koli’ members being issued ‘Kori’ Scheduled Caste certificates has prompted the Allahabad High Court to raise the prospect of QR-code-enabled, auditable caste certification across Uttar Pradesh.

A Division Bench of the Allahabad High Court, comprising Justice Saumitra Dayal Singh and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi, has observed in a Public Interest Litigation that local authorities in Uttar Pradesh are issuing Scheduled Caste caste certificates to members of the ‘Koli’ community — which is not a Scheduled Caste — by treating them as members of the ‘Kori’ community, which is. The bench noted that the problem is systemic, rooted in phonetic and spelling similarities between caste names, and that current certification practices leave unchecked discretion with executing officers often not above the rank of Tehsildar. On 2 July 2026, the court asked the State to obtain comprehensive instructions on whether technology-based, software-driven certification with unique numbering and QR-code verification could replace the existing manual system.

The Dispute Before the Court

PIL No. 57442 of 2013 was filed by the U.P. Koli Kori Pratinidhi Sabha against the State of Uttar Pradesh and nine others. The petition concerns the issuance of caste certificates that are governed, for Scheduled Castes, by the Presidential Order. The Sabha's grievance is that members of the ‘Koli’ caste, which does not appear in the Presidential Order as a Scheduled Caste, are being certified as members of the ‘Kori’ caste, which does.

On the date of hearing, none appeared to press the petition on behalf of the petitioner. The Additional Government Advocate for the State was, however, present. The bench proceeded to hear Additional Advocate General Manish Goyal, assisted by Additional Chief Standing Counsel A.K. Goyal and Standing Counsel Ankit Gaur for the State respondents.

The Problem of Phonetic Similarity in Caste Names

The court described the concern as a general one: local authorities, for a variety of reasons, have been known to issue certificates to persons not belonging to Scheduled Castes but to castes that sound phonetically similar or are spelt similarly. The ‘Koli’/‘Kori’ confusion is the specific instance before the court in this PIL, but the bench framed the systemic issue more broadly.

The bench identified the root cause as “unwanted and unbridled discretion currently left with the executing authorities.” These authorities are frequently not above the rank of Tehsildar. The result is the issuance of what the court described as doubtful or incorrect certificates, with no reliable means for subsequent verification or audit.

Technology as a Possible Remedy

The bench's observations went beyond identifying the problem. It noted, prima facie, that present technology enables the State to offer software-based certification that is transparent and capable of audit. The court pointed to analogous systems already in place: birth and death certificate issuance and educational board mark sheets already use unique numbering and, in some instances, QR-code-based verification.

The bench observed that similar measures, if adopted for Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and OBC caste certificates, could achieve several things: eliminate unguided discretion at the executing-officer level, enable proper audits, provide credible means to verify genuine certificates, and allow unique numbering and QR-code-enabled verification. The court did not issue any formal direction to this effect at this stage, but asked the Additional Advocate General to obtain comprehensive instructions from the State on these questions.

The Additional Advocate General himself sought time to gather those instructions, and the bench accommodated that request.

Outcome

The bench listed the matter afresh for 23 July 2026, directing that it be placed amongst the top ten cases on that date. No interim order was passed. The State is expected to place comprehensive instructions before the court on the feasibility and status of technology-driven caste certification.