1 37-wp-12913-2026.doc IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO. 12913 OF 2026 Kunal S/o. Madan Shirsate ...Petitioner Vs. The State of Maharashtra through its Secretary Tribal Development Department and Others ...Respondents ----------------- Mr. Mohanish V. Thorat, for the Petitioner. Mr. O. A. Chandurkar, Addl.G.P. a/w. Ms. Priyanka B. Chavan, AGP, for the Respondent / State. Ms. Megha Gowalani, for Respondent No.2 / CET Cell. ----------------- CORAM : R. I. CHAGLA AND FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ. DATED : 5th OCTOBER, 2026 P.C.:- 1. By this Writ Petition, the Petitioner is seeking a direction to the Respondents to extend to the Petitioner, the benefit of six months’ additional time for submission of the Scheduled Tribe Validity Certificate, on the same footing as has been extended to the SC, OBC, and SEBC candidates and not to cancel the admission of the Petitioner. 2. This Petition has been moved on the last day of the Institutional Level Round. Further, Application for Tribe Validity Certificate Mamta Kale 1/2 MAMTA AMAR KALE Digitally signed by MAMTA AMAR KALE Date: 2026.10.05 18:56:24 +0530 2 37-wp-12913-2026.doc has been made only on 30th July 2026. By Notification dated 4th September 2026, the benefit of an extended period of three months for submission of the Tribe Validity Certificate has been granted to the Reserved Category candidates (other than Scheduled Tribe Candidates) who had applied for admission. The ground that Petitioner’s Tribe Validity claim has not been decided by the Scrutiny Committee, cannot be made applicable to the present Petitioner, particularly when the statutory period of three months has not expired from the time when the Application for Tribe Validity claim has been made. Apart from that, the Scrutiny Committee is situated at Dhule, which falls within the territorial jurisdiction of the Aurangabad Bench of this Court. It was for the Petitioner to move the concerned Aurangabad Bench in order to obtain necessary directions for deciding the Petitioner’s Tribe Validity claim. 3. In that view of the matter, we find no merit in the present Writ Petition. The Writ Petition is dismissed with no order as to costs. [FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J.] [R.I. CHAGLA, J.] Mamta Kale 2/2