Palghar: In a heartening turn of events, Priyanka Sunil Gimbal, a tribal student from Boisar in Palghar district, has been granted permission by the Bombay High Court to appear for her final B.Sc. IT semester examination.
About The Case
This follows a swift intervention that began at the Lok Darbar (public grievance forum) of Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik. Priyanka, a final-year student at P.L. Shroff College under Tarapur Education Society, was denied the right to sit for her sixth-semester exam on the grounds that she had not opted for Mathematics in her 11th and 12th grades. Despite this, the college had admitted her to B.Sc. IT programme, and allowed her to complete two full academic years. The issue surfaced only in the final semester, placing her academic future in jeopardy, for no fault of her own.
Faced with immense stress and uncertainty, Priyanka and her family sought legal guidance and were directed to Palghar-based advocate Paras Sahane. Learning that Minister Sarnaik’s Lok Darbar was scheduled for April 9, 2025, Sahane accompanied the family to the District Collector’s Office, where they presented their case. Moved by the injustice, Sarnaik instructed Shiv Sena leader and former Palghar Municipal Council corporator Adv. Dharmendra Pranlal Bhatt to escalate the matter legally.
Bhatt, in turn, connected with Bombay High Court Advocate Rohit Karadkar, who filed a petition on Priyanka’s behalf, free of cost. Taking the issue seriously, the Bombay High Court bench comprising Justices Karnik and Borkar issued an interim order directing her college to allow Priyanka to appear for her final exam. The ruling has been met with widespread praise, with many hailing the role of public grievance platforms like the Lok Darbar in ensuring access to justice for marginalized communities.
The matter has especially resonated in tribal and rural circles, where students often face systemic barriers in education. “This is a victory not just for Priyanka, but for every student from marginalised backgrounds who dreams of a better future through education,” said Sahane.
