Bombay High Court
KUNAL S/O MADAN SHIRSATEversusTHE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA THR ITS TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT AND ORS
- Decided
- Disposal
- Dismissed
Holding
The writ petition is dismissed as there is no merit in granting the requested extension.
Summary
The petitioner, Kunal, sought a six‑month extension to submit his Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate, arguing that similar extensions had been granted to SC, OBC and SEBC candidates. He filed the petition on the last day of the Institutional Level Round, having applied for the certificate only on 30 July 2026. The respondents pointed out that a notification dated 4 September 2026 extended the submission period by three months only to reserved categories other than Scheduled Tribes, and that the statutory three‑month period had not yet expired for the petitioner. The Court noted that the Scrutiny Committee, located in Dhule under the Aurangabad Bench’s jurisdiction, was the proper forum for the petitioner’s claim. Consequently, the Court found no merit in the writ petition and dismissed it without costs.
Issues considered
- Whether the petitioner is entitled to a six‑month extension for submitting the Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate similar to extensions granted to other reserved categories
- Whether the notification extending the submission period applies to Scheduled Tribe candidates
- Whether the appropriate forum for the petitioner's claim is the Aurangabad Bench of the High Court
Subjects
- Scheduled Tribe
- Validity Certificate
- Admission
- Extension of time
- Writ petition
- Jurisdiction
- Scrutiny Committee
Judgment
1 37-wp-12913-2026.doc
IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
WRIT PETITION NO. 12913 OF 2026
Kunal S/o. Madan Shirsate ...Petitioner
Vs.
The State of Maharashtra through its Secretary
Tribal Development Department and Others ...Respondents
-----------------
Mr. Mohanish V. Thorat, for the Petitioner.
Mr. O. A. Chandurkar, Addl.G.P. a/w. Ms. Priyanka B. Chavan, AGP, for the
Respondent / State.
Ms. Megha Gowalani, for Respondent No.2 / CET Cell.
-----------------
Digitally
signed by
MAMTA
MAMTA AMAR
AMAR KALE
KALE Date:
2026.10.05
CORAM : R. I. CHAGLA AND
18:56:24
+0530
FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ.
DATED : 5th OCTOBER, 2026
P.C.:-
1. By this Writ Petition, the Petitioner is seeking a direction to the
Respondents to extend to the Petitioner, the benefit of six months’
additional time for submission of the Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate,
on the same footing as has been extended to the SC, OBC, and SEBC
candidates and not to cancel the admission of the Petitioner.
2. This Petition has been moved on the last day of the
Institutional Level Round. Further, Application for Tribe Validity Certificate
Mamta Kale 1/2
2 37-wp-12913-2026.doc
has been made only on 30th July 2026. By Notification dated 4 th September
2026, the benefit of an extended period of three months for submission of
the Tribe Validity Certificate has been granted to the Reserved Category
candidates (other than Scheduled Tribe Candidates) who had applied for
admission. The ground that Petitioner’s Tribe Validity claim has not been
decided by the Scrutiny Committee, cannot be made applicable to the
present Petitioner, particularly when the statutory period of three months
has not expired from the time when the Application for Tribe Validity claim
has been made. Apart from that, the Scrutiny Committee is situated at
Dhule, which falls within the territorial jurisdiction of the Aurangabad
Bench of this Court. It was for the Petitioner to move the concerned
Aurangabad Bench in order to obtain necessary directions for deciding the
Petitioner’s Tribe Validity claim.
3. In that view of the matter, we find no merit in the present Writ
Petition. The Writ Petition is dismissed with no order as to costs.
[FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J.] [R.I. CHAGLA, J.]
Mamta Kale 2/2
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