Archive · 7 Aug 2026
Maharashtra may soon make minority status harder to get
In the Indian state of Maharashtra, the government decides which schools and colleges can be called 'minority' institutions.
Having this status can bring special benefits and rights to a school.
Right now, it is fairly easy to get this status, and after a school gets it, nobody checks on it again.
A government report says this should change.
It suggests that a very senior government officer should watch over the approval process.
It also suggests that experts from many different government departments should look at every application together.
After a school receives minority status, the government should keep checking that it still follows the rules.
The report was written after people complained that 19 schools got their certificates very quickly and with little checking.
The government stopped those approvals so it could review them.
A new set of rules is being prepared now, and it may be announced by the end of August.
A high-level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary B Venugopal Reddy has proposed tighter scrutiny for educational institutions seeking minority status in Maharashtra.
The committee recommends that a senior IAS officer, preferably the department secretary, supervise the approval process and that applications be vetted by a multi-department expert committee.
It also proposes periodic review of institutions after minority status is granted, noting that the current system has no monitoring mechanism once status is given.
The changes follow a February controversy over minority status certificates for 19 of 20 educational trusts, which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered kept in abeyance pending review.
An implementation committee headed by Minority Affairs Secretary Madhavi Khode Chaware is drafting a revised Standard Operating Procedure, expected by the end of August.
- Who
- A government-appointed committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary B Venugopal Reddy; an implementation committee headed by Minority Affairs Secretary Madhavi Khode Chaware; Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis; Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar; Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal.
- What
- Recommendations to make minority status for educational institutions harder to get and easier to lose, with senior IAS officer supervision, multi-department vetting, and periodic review after status is granted.
- When
- The report was submitted about a month ago; the implementation committee was formed on July 15; the revised SOP is expected by the end of August, following a controversy in February.
- Where
- Maharashtra state, India.
- Why
- Following allegations of irregularities in the bulk grant of minority status certificates to 19 of 20 educational trusts.
Critics of the approval process
Minority Development Department
Irregularity of the certificate grants
Critics of the approval process
Questions were raised after minority status certificates for 19 of 20 educational trusts were uploaded between January 29 and February 4, prompting allegations of irregularities, an inquiry by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, and an order by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to keep approvals in abeyance.
Minority Development Department
The Minority Development Department maintained that the approvals were not irregular, saying most certificates were uploaded only after technical issues with the MahaIT portal were resolved and that hearings and approvals for 19 of the 20 trusts were completed between December 24, 2025, and January 27, 2026.
Checks in the existing system
Critics of the approval process
The Reddy committee highlighted lacunae in the existing system, which it said lacks adequate checks, processes applications through a dedicated desk usually headed by a non-IAS officer, and has no mechanism for periodic review after minority status is granted.
Minority Development Department
The Minority Development Department told the Chief Secretary that the approval process was followed, with hearings and approvals for most trusts completed before the certificates were uploaded, and Reddy declined to comment after submitting the report.
- Reform committee
- High-level committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary B Venugopal Reddy
- Report submitted to
- Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal
- Implementation committee head
- Minority Affairs Secretary Madhavi Khode Chaware
- Implementation committee formed
- July 15
- Expected new SOP
- By the end of August
- Triggering controversy
- Certificates for 19 of 20 educational trusts uploaded between January 29 and February 4
- Government response
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered approvals kept in abeyance; Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar ordered an inquiry
- Departments on implementation committee
- Finance, General Administration, School Education, Higher and Technical Education, Minority Affairs