Caste validity certificate requirement is mandatory under municipal election law, with failure triggering retrospective termination and disqualification.

A reserved-category candidate under municipal election law must furnish both the caste certificate and the caste validity certificate, subject only to a limited proviso allowing nomination without the validity certificate if proof of application before the Scrutiny Committee and an undertaking to submit it within six months are provided. The proviso is mandatory, not directory, because the statutory text expressly states that failure to produce the certificate within that period results in retrospective termination of the election and disqualification. The later deletion and reintroduction of the proviso reinforce that the legislature intended strict compliance, and individual hardship cannot override the plain mandate.

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Issues: Whether the requirement to furnish a caste validity certificate within the prescribed period under the municipal election law is mandatory and whether failure to do so results in retrospective termination of the election.

Analysis: The statutory scheme required a reserved-category candidate to file both the caste certificate and the validity certificate, while the proviso permitted nomination without the validity certificate only on furnishing proof of application before the Scrutiny Committee and an undertaking to submit the certificate within six months of election. The second proviso expressly provided that failure to produce the certificate within that period would deem the election terminated retrospectively and disqualify the councillor. The reasoning treated the proviso as a strict exception to the main rule, and the later deletion and reintroduction of the proviso supported a mandatory interpretation rather than a directory one. Individual hardship could not dilute the plain legislative mandate.

Conclusion: The requirement was held mandatory, and non-production of the caste validity certificate within the prescribed period was held to result in retrospective termination and disqualification.

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