Bombay High Court

SUHANI SHANKAR KOTLAWARversusTHE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THR SEC. GEN. ADMINISTRATION DEPT. AND ORS

Decided: 8 September 2026
Disposal: Disposed Off

Holding

The Court held that the petitioner is entitled to provisional admission pending the Scrutiny Committee’s decision and directed the State to extend the same time‑frame benefits to Scheduled Tribes.

Summary

The petitioner, a Scheduled Tribe candidate, sought urgent relief after the State CET Cell failed to cancel her admission despite the expiry of the deadline for submitting a Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate. The Court noted earlier orders granting a six‑month period to the Scrutiny Committee to decide the petitioner’s tribe claim and a government resolution extending a six‑month submission period to other reserved categories, later reduced to three months. Relying on a Nagpur Bench decision in Aditi D/o Ramsing Jadhao, the Court found no reason to exclude Scheduled Tribes from the benefit. Consequently, the Court directed the State to apply the same resolution to Scheduled Tribes and to grant the petitioner provisional admission pending the final decision of the Scrutiny Committee. The petition was disposed without costs.

Issues considered

Whether the six‑month time‑frame for submission of caste validity certificates should be extended to Scheduled Tribe candidates.
Whether the petitioner is entitled to provisional admission pending the Scrutiny Committee’s decision.
Whether the Government Resolution granting a reduced three‑month period applies to Scheduled Tribes.

Subjects

Scheduled Tribe
Caste Certificate
Provisional Admission
Government Resolution
Time Limit
Writ Petition
Urgency

Judgment

916-WP-11983-26.doc

Sharayu Khot.

IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

WRIT PETITION NO. 11983 OF 2026

Suhani Shankar Kotlawar …Petitioner

Versus

The State of Maharashtra & Ors. …Respondents

----------
Mr. Sahil Choudhari for the Petitioner.
Smt. G.R. Raghuwanshi, AGP for the Respondent-State.
Dr. Dhruti Kapadia a/w Ms. Kavita Dhanuka for the Respondent No.
2 – CET Cell.
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CORAM : R.I. CHAGLA J
FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J

DATE : 8 September 2026

ORDER :

1. The learned Counsel for the Petitioner has sought leave

to amend the Petition by deleting Respondent No. 4 – The Scheduled
SHARAYU
PANDURANG
KHOT
Tribe Certificate Scrutiny Committee, Kinwat, Headquarter at
Digitally
signed by
SHARAYU
PANDURANG
KHOT
Date:
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, as well as prayer clause ‘E’ to the
2026.09.09
18:19:08
+0530

Petition.

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2. Accordingly, leave is granted.

3. The Petitioner shall carry out the amendment to the

Petition in the course of today. Re-verification is dispensed with.

4. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard by consent

of the parties.

5. This Petition has been filed on the grounds of urgency in

view of the Petitioner, as per the schedule of Respondent No. 2 - State

CET Cell, requiring to submit the Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate

on or before 7th September 2026. Although this date has expired, the

Respondent No. 2 - State CET Cell has till date not cancelled the

allotment to the Petitioner in Respondent No. 3 – Shri Guru Gobind

Singhji Institute of Engineering and Technology, Nanded.

6. The Tribe Validity claim of the Petitioner has not yet been

decided by the Scheduled Tribes Certificate Scrutiny Committee. By

an order dated 24th June 2025 passed by this Court (Aurangabad

Bench) in Writ Petition No. 7339 of 2025 filed by the present

Petitioner, this Court has granted the Scrutiny Committee a period of

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six months to decide the Tribe Validity claim of the Petitioner.

7. This Court in Writ Petition No. 11628 of 2026, by an

order dated 3rd September 2026, considered the Government

Resolution dated 2nd July 2026, which had granted a period of six

months from the date of admission to the candidates belonging to

reserved categories, viz. SEBC and OBC, for submitting Caste

Certificates and Caste Validity Certificates.

8. This Court relying upon a decision of this Court (Nagpur

Bench) in Aditi D/o Ramsing Jadhao Vs. The Vice-Chairman/Member

Secretary, Scheduled Tribe Caste Certificate Scrutiny Committee,

Yavatmal & Anr.1, had not found any reason as to why the benefit of

six months should not be granted to other categories such as

Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, De-notified Tribes (Vimukta

Jatis), and Nomadic Tribes.

9. This Court had accordingly, considered it appropriate, in

these circumstances and in the interest of the students, to direct the

Respondent-State to take a decision on making the said Government

1 Writ Petition No. 6545 of 2026 order dated 24th August 2026

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Resolution dated 2nd July 2026 applicable to the aforesaid

categories. Thereafter, the Respondent-State issued a Government

Resolution dated 4th September 2026 granting benefit to the

aforesaid categories other than Scheduled Tribes and revising the

time period from six months to three months for submission of the

Caste Validity Certificate to the Institutions.

10. Considering that the Petitioner claims to belong to the

Scheduled Tribe and the aforesaid Government Resolutions have not

been made applicable to Scheduled Tribes, we direct the Respondent-

State to take a decision on making these Government Resolutions

applicable to Scheduled Tribes as well.

11. The Aurangabad Bench of this Court, vide order dated

24th June 2025, granted six months to the Scrutiny Committee to

decide the Tribe claim of the Petitioner, in view of which the

Petitioner has not been able to submit the Tribe Validity Certificate as

per the requisites of the Respondent No. 2 - State CET Cell.

12. Accordingly, we direct the State CET Cell to consider the

admission of the present Petitioner from the Scheduled Tribe

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category to the B.E. / B.Tech course in the Respondent No. 3 -

College and grant provisional admission without insisting upon

submission of the Tribe Validity Certificate. This provisional

admission shall be subject to the final outcome of the Tribe Validity

claim of the Petitioner before the Scrutiny Committee.

13. The Writ Petition is disposed of in these terms. No order

as to costs.

[FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J.] [R.I. CHAGLA J.]

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