Minority status to 75 schools in 3 days: Maharashtra govt transfers officer who signed certificates

An official list of certificates seen by The Indian Express shows that all 75 minority status approvals issued during the three-day window were digitally signed at the Mantralaya level by the same officer. The certificates bear the digital signature of the deputy secretary. Shenoy could not be reached for comment.

The approvals were issued under Article 30(1) of the Constitution and Section 2(g) of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act, 2004.

Documents show that seven institutions were granted minority status on January 28 alone, with the first clearance recorded at 3.09 pm that day. The total rose to 75 within the next three days. A significant number of certificates were issued on January 29, a day after Ajit Pawar’s death.

The approvals covered institutions across at least 14 districts, including Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Yavatmal, Nagpur, Chandrapur, Buldhana, Latur, Nashik, Sangli and Raigad. In several cases, multiple schools under a single trust were granted minority status through a single certificate. Several institutions under the same trusts were cleared in batches on January 29 and January 30, indicating that the files were processed at the state level within a compressed timeframe.

Among the 75 schools were 25 run by the Podar International School group, all of which received minority status certificates on January 29. Five schools of the St Xavier’s group and four institutions linked to Swami Shanti Prakash and Devprakash trusts were also granted minority status during the same period.

Under the normal procedure, applications for minority status require scrutiny of trust documents, verification of minority character, examination under the 2013 government resolution governing minority institutions, and administrative approval before the issuance of certificates.

It remains unclear how many applications were pending prior to January 28 and whether the approvals were part of routine disposal of backlog cases or represented a fresh round of clearances.

Following the controversy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday ordered that the approvals be kept in abeyance pending review. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar also directed a detailed inquiry into the process adopted.

However, the government has not disclosed the composition of the inquiry panel, the terms of reference, or whether any departmental action has been initiated against officers involved in clearing the files.

Minority status provides constitutional protection and exemptions from certain provisions of the Right to Education Act, including the 25 per cent reservation for economically weaker sections, making the grant of such status a matter of regulatory significance.

Responding to the development, the Principal of Swami Devprakash School in Ulhasnagar, Heer Kundanani, said that their school had long held minority status and that the recent application was part of an online documentation process.

“Our school was established in the year 1996 and we received minority status in 2009. In 2024, we applied again through the online process as demanded by the authorities as they planned to keep digital records. There process was stalled for a considerable amount of time due to technical glitches in the syste. Finally the minority status certificate was handed over to us on January 22, a hardcopy. Whereas the soft copy was issued later.”

Podar International School management also issued a statement: “As the matter is to be investigated, we cannot comment further on the same. The school will continue to adhere to all guidelines and policies as directed by the Government.”