MUMBAI, Sept. 23 -- Former mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vishakha Raut has received a reprieve from the Supreme Court on her plea challenging her disqualification as a corporator after her caste certificate was invalidated by the Palghar District Caste Verification Committee. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ruled that Raut will continue as a corporator pending the outcome of her appeal before a statutory authority, challenging the Palghar committee's order. Raut's election as an OBC candidate from Ward 191, a politically significant ward in the Dadar-Shivaji Park area, was challenged by Priya Sarvankar Gurav (Shiv Sena), who lost the January civic elections to Raut by a narrow margin. Following the Palghar committee's decision, the BMC swiftly announced Raut's disqualification, paving the way for Gurav to stake her claim to the seat. Raut, however, filed an appeal before the Konkan divisional commissioner but was told that there is no machinery for it to hear such cases. She subsequently moved the Bombay High Court but did not receive any relief. On Raut's disqualification by the BMC, her lawyer Shirish Desphande said, "Sub-sections 4 and 5 of Section 10 of the Caste Certificate Verification Act 2000, and the 2012 rules say that when an appeal is pending, corporatorship cannot be cancelled.'' Raut said, "I have been given relief by the Supreme Court and will have to return to the divisional commissioner's office to appeal. The apex court also asked how my certificate had been invalidated." Gurav, on the other hand, is defiant. "My aim was to prove that Raut's caste certificate was false and I succeeded. I was defeated by 191 votes and hence I will become corporator. Let Raut exhaust the legal options she has," she said....