Education Department allows colleges to retain quota seats till last admission round after Bombay High Court petition; Concerned about losing its minority quota seats, Mumbai’s Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science & Commerce filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court
Government cites willingness of colleges to admit students as reason for withdrawal of earlier surrender rule. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK
Backtracking on its decision to auto-surrender unfilled minority seats, the Maharashtra Education Department has now allowed minority colleges to retain their reserved seats while admissions are underway. This follows an earlier directive asking minority colleges to surrender unfilled minority quota seats by August 2, after the fourth merit list.
Concerned about losing its minority quota seats, Mumbai’s Guru Nanak Khalsa College of Arts, Science & Commerce filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court. “We filed the petition on August 4 to safeguard the rights of minority institutes as enshrined in Article 30 of the Constitution of India, which reads: ‘Right of minorities to establish and administer educational institutions.’ Thankfully, the state has realised that the rights of minorities can’t be curtailed and has withdrawn the communication that was challenged before the Bombay High Court,” said Adv Ravleen Kaur Sabharwal, legal representative of Khalsa College.
Stakeholders from other colleges also welcomed the move and have resumed admissions. Having filled over 50 per cent of its seats, KC College, a Sindhi minority institution, began FYJC classes for all three streams on Monday. “We’ve heaved a sigh of relief now that the decision has been withdrawn. Initially, several students were unable to submit their OTPs on time, which made it difficult for us to collate their details on the portal. Now, we can help students navigate the OTP process and other steps to secure their admissions before the deadline,” said Principal Tejashree Shanbhag.
St Xavier’s Junior College has also begun FYJC classes for science and humanities students, while receiving more minority applications for the commerce stream. “We were glad to have our seats restored. Students are still interested in taking admissions, and we’ll continue filling the seats in the coming days,” said Principal Karuna Gokarn.
In the late hours of August 4, following pushback from minority institutions in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Education Department issued a circular stating: “Vacant seats in the minority quota will not be compulsorily included in the CAP, and the minority college management will be allowed to fill the minority quota seats till the last round.”
“We have withdrawn the decision to auto-surrender reserved seats in minority colleges, as colleges appear keen to continue with admissions. Initially, our goal was to open up and maximise admissions, which is why the seats were being surrendered. However, this has now been reversed, and minority colleges can continue admitting students until the end of the admission season,” said an official.
After tallying the number of students still not admitted, the state will decide whether an additional round is needed. As of August 4, over 14 lakh students had registered for online admission to Std XI, with 8.8 lakh students already securing admission. As of August 5, 2025, 17,140 students have registered for the Open to All round. And 381,420 students have filled their preference in Part 2 of the admission form.
This year, the state’s online admission initiative has faced several hiccups, including delays and varying commencement dates across colleges. All colleges have been instructed to resume academic activities by August 11.
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