Acceptance of SC Caste Certificates - New Guidelines 2026

New Directive: Acceptance of Scheduled Caste (SC) Certificates

Published: February 2026

The Controller General of Accounts (CGA), under the Ministry of Finance, has issued a fresh Office Memorandum (OM No. 11/26) regarding the acceptance of caste/community certificates for Scheduled Caste candidates.

Key Update: Authorities are directed to stop the practice of insisting on custom formats and must accept the standardized certificates issued by designated State authorities.

The Core Problem

It has been observed that several Central and State government authorities are refusing to accept valid SC certificates issued by State authorities. Instead, they have been demanding certificates in different, non-standard formats, causing significant hardship for candidates seeking employment or educational benefits.

Official Guidelines Re-iterated

The government has re-emphasized that the prescribed proforma established in 1994 must be followed strictly. Key points include:

• Prescribed Format: Certificates issued in the format attached to the OM dated 10.08.1994 must be accepted for all consequential benefits.
• No Redundancy: Appointing authorities should not ask candidates to submit social status certificates in any format other than the prescribed one.
• Uniformity: This directive applies to all Ministries, Departments, Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), and Educational Institutions.

Who is Authorized to Issue Certificates?

Certificates are considered valid if signed by any of the following competent authorities:

• District Magistrate / Additional District Magistrate / Collector / Deputy Commissioner / SDM / Taluka Magistrate / Executive Magistrate.
• Chief Presidency Magistrate / Additional Chief Presidency Magistrate / Presidency Magistrate.
• Revenue Officer (not below the rank of Tehsildar).
• Sub-Divisional Officer of the area where the candidate resides.
• Administrator / Secretary to Administrator / Development Officer (Lakshadweep Islands).

For more details, you can download the full official memorandum below:

Download Official OM (PDF)

Disclaimer

Educational Purpose Only: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only.

Accuracy & Mistakes: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the content based on the official Memorandum, Human errors or omissions may occur. We do not warrant the completeness or reliability of this information.

No Liability: Under no circumstances shall the author or this website be held liable for any loss or damage (including financial loss) arising from the use of, or reliance on, the information presented here.

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