MUMBAI: The state tribal development department plans to seek legal opinion to challenge a Bombay high court ruling that the Gowari community be included in the scheduled tribe (ST) category.The state law and judiciary department, though, will take a final call on the tribal development department’s proposal to challenge the high court directive in a week’s time, said an official on the condition of anonymity.Currently, the Gond Gowari community is included in the special backward class (SBC) category in the state and the other backward class (OBC) category at the Centre.Adim Gowari Vikas Mandal had moved high court seeking an ST status for the community, which was its demand for long. In August, the high court’s Nagpur bench, headed by Justices R K Deshpande and Arun Upadhye, had granted an independent status to the community. The community would be entitled to more benefits for education and government jobs under the ST category than in SBC.Meanwhile, the Gowari community has threatened to protest if the state challenges the verdict. “It is unfortunate that the state is not ready to follow the high court’s decision. The community will again initiate a protest. We will declare the course of action on November 23,” said Shalik Neware, convenor of the Adiwasi-Gowari Samaj Sanghatan Samiti. Neware argued that the community has all the documents and evidence in place, which will prove the tribal status of the community.The community is found in and around Vidarbha region in the state and has a population of around four lakh.

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