Maharashtra: 75 Certificates Issued To Educational Institutions On Day Ajit Pawar Died, Minorities Commission Seeks Suspension | Video

​Mumbai: Raising suspicions over the large number of linguistic minority status certificates issued to educational institutions on the day Deputy Chief Minister and Minority Affairs Minister Ajit Pawar died and in the days following, the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission has requested Sunetra Pawar, the current Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Minorities, to immediately suspend the documents issued during this period. Pawar died in a plane crash in Baramati on January 28.

75 Certificates Issued to Kannada, Urdu, Telugu and Lingayat Institutions

​Wasim Khwajabhai Burhan, member of the Commission, which has the powers of a civil court, said that an estimated 75 certificates were issued to institutions claiming to be run by linguistic minorities such as Kannadigas, Urdu, and Telugu, besides caste minorities, including Lingayats.

​"The certificates were issued in suspicious circumstances while the state was mourning the death of a senior minister who was heading the minorities ministry. This is a very serious matter that has come to light. The Minority Development Department at Mantralaya should not have issued these certificates so fast," said Burhan.

Long-Pending Proposals Cleared Suddenly Without Ministerial Approval

​Burhan added that proposals for obtaining minority status certificates of various educational and social institutions in the state were pending with the department for the last few years. However, in the absence of ministerial approval and clarity regarding the regular administrative process from the deputy secretary level officers in the minority department, these certificates have been issued at a crucial time.

Burhan said that the 'sudden and hasty disposal' of proposals pending for many years has created doubts about the criteria adopted for the clearance, the file movement, and the approval of competent authorities. He added that suspicions regarding whether the relevant legal conditions were complied with are detrimental to the principles of transparent administration, equality, and natural justice.

Institutions from Across Maharashtra Received Approvals

​The minorities commission members did not give the names and details of the institutions that got approvals last month. However, he added that the institutions were from across the state.

The Commission has asked for a high-level and impartial inquiry into the entire matter, investigations of all stages of the approval process, and disciplinary and punitive action to be taken against the concerned officers.

​Maharashtra and other states recognise two categories of minorities—religious and linguistic. Institutions run by these groups enjoy benefits such as freedom from government interference in management, including in the appointment of staff. In cases where the institutions are aided, a government representative is included in the selection committee. They are also exempt from the Right to Education law that mandates reservation of 25% seats at entry level to scheduled groups. Also, 50% of the seats are reserved for the minority group.

Educator Calls for Relaxation of Community Quota Requirement

​The head of one of the largest linguistic minority-run educational groups in the city said that many institutions, especially those run by small minority groups, find it difficult to find students from their community to fill the quota. "We think the government should relax this requirement in case of Sindhi or some of the South Indian language speakers. The right to run educational institutions is a Constitutional guarantee. A certificate that you are a linguistic minority should not be necessary, but the recognition is necessary for various approvals," said the person, who requested not to be quoted.

​Burhan said that the certificates are often obtained by withholding information. "An institution run by a religious minority is easily identifiable. However, many Marathi-run institutions are claiming to be from Kannada, Urdu, or Telugu communities."

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/