Maharashtra Minority Department Bans Individual Minority Certificates For Quota Admissions, Accepts School Leaving Certificates

Mumbai: In a major relief to lakhs of students seeking admission under the minority quota across Maharashtra, the State Minority Development Department has directed all educational institutions not to insist on individual minority certificates from applicants.

Circular Issued on July 21

The circular, issued on July 21 and signed by Deputy Secretary Ananda Shestage, reiterates that the Maharashtra government does not issue individual minority status certificates to citizens. It states that insisting on such a document is improper and could deprive eligible students of admission under the minority quota.

The directive applies to schools, higher educational institutions, technical, vocational and medical colleges across the state.

Alternative Documents Prescribed

Instead of an individual minority certificate, institutions have been instructed to accept any one of several prescribed documents as proof of religious or linguistic minority status. The School Leaving Certificate (SLC) or Transfer Certificate (TC), carrying the student's religion or mother tongue, will serve as the primary valid document.

Other acceptable documents include certificates issued by registered social or religious organisations or recognised religious heads, such as baptism certificates for Christians and Diksha certificates for Buddhists. A sworn affidavit by the student's parent or guardian declaring the student's religion or mother tongue will also be accepted.

Background of the Clarification

The clarification follows a high-level meeting held on July 18, 2026, with Amarprit Gujral, a member of the Punjabi Sahitya Academy, after complaints that several educational institutions were denying minority quota admissions for the 2026-27 academic year due to the absence of an "individual minority certificate".

Malkit Singh Bal, Executive Chairman of the Maharashtra State Punjabi Sahitya Academy, said students and parents had approached the academy after colleges continued to insist on the certificate despite earlier government clarifications.

"Educational institutions were insisting on these certificates though earlier circulars had made it clear that this document is not needed. We received complaints from students and parents. So we had a meeting with the Minority Development Department officials where we asked them to clarify the matter once and for all," Bal said.

The government also reaffirmed that all notified minority communities in Maharashtra—Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis, Jains and Jews—continue to be covered under the existing Government Resolution of July 1, 2013, and the circular dated January 10, 2017.

The circular has been sent to the directorates of School Education, Higher Education, Technical Education, Vocational Education, Medical Education and Research, and Ayurveda, directing them to ensure compliance across all affiliated institutions so that no eligible student is denied admission under the minority quota.

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