903-wp-10956-2026.doc jsn IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO.10956 OF 2026 Kum. Rudraksh Hemant Kore ...Petitioner Versus State of Maharashtra & Ors. ...Respondents ---------- Mr. R.K. Mendadkar, Mr. Siddhant Sawai and Mr. Jagdish Kawale for the Petitioner. Mrs. Kavita Solunke, Addl. G.P. with Mr. S.H. Kankal, AGP for the State. Mr. Nikhil Chavan, for Respondent No.3. ---------- CORAM : R.I. CHAGLA AND FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ. DATE : 1ST SEPTEMBER, 2026. O R D E R: 1. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard by consent of parties. 2. By this Petition, the Petitioner is seeking a direction to Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee to forthwith decide the application of the Petitioner, which had been made on 5th February 2026, for grant of validity certificate in accordance with law. 3. The urgency for moving the present Petition is that the Petitioner has been granted provisional admission in Vidya 1/4 JITENDRA SHANKAR NIJASURE Digitally signed by JITENDRA SHANKAR NIJASURE Date: 2026.09.02 14:52:21 +0530 903-wp-10956-2026.doc Pratishthan's College of Agriculture Biotechnology, Pune and is required to submit the caste validity certificate through Respondent No. 3 (State CET Cell) by 4th September 2026. 4. The Petitioner has placed reliance upon the validity certificates granted to the Petitioner's paternal blood relatives, which includes the Petitioner's cousin sister, Mayuri Umakant Kore, on 21st April 2014, and Petitioner's cousin uncles, viz. Umakant Dagdu Kore and Namakant Dagdu Kore, on 28th January 2010, following due process of law. 5. The Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee has referred the case of the Petitioner to the Vigilance Cell for carrying out requisite inquiry, and the report is awaited. 6. Mr. Mendadkar, the learned Counsel for the Petitioner on instructions, states that the Vigilance Cell report may be dispensed with in the proceedings before the Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee. The statement is accepted. 7. The Petitioner is stated to have appeared for MHT-CET Provisional list of admission to the Undergraduate Course in Agriculture 2026–2027, the results of which had been declared on 2/4 903-wp-10956-2026.doc 15th June 2026. Thereafter, he has participated in CAP for admission to the said Undergraduate Agriculture and Allied Courses 2026 under the Scheduled Tribe category. He has, during the CAP round process, being allotted Vidya Pratishthan's College of Agriculture Biotechnology, Pune through Respondent No. 3 State CET Cell. 8. Considering that the Petitioner is unable to submit the caste validity certificate prior to 4th September 2026, we are of the view that till Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee decides the application of the Petitioner for grant of validity certificate and for a period of one week thereafter, Respondent No. 3 - State CET Cell is required to be directed not to cancel the admission of the Petitioner in the aforesaid institute. 9. Accordingly, we pass a similar order as passed by this Bench in Varad Jayawant Patil (Minor) through Father Jayawant Patil vs. State of Maharashtra & Others1. 10. Hence, the following Order:- (i) Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee is directed to decide the case of the Petitioner for grant of validity certificate within a 1 Writ Petition No. 10697 of 2026, order dated 27th August 2026 3/4 903-wp-10956-2026.doc period of two weeks from the date of this order. (ii) The Vigilance Cell inquiry report has been dispensed with by the Petitioner and, accordingly, Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee shall not wait for the Vigilance Cell inquiry report and shall decide the claim of the petitioner for grant of validity certificate within the aforesaid timeline. (iii) Respondent No. 3 - State CET Cell shall not cancel the admission of the Petitioner granted in the aforesaid Institute till the decision of Respondent No. 2 - Scrutiny Committee, and in the event the decision is adverse, two weeks from the decision due to non-submission of certificate of validity before the cut-off date. 11. The Writ Petition is accordingly disposed of in the above terms. There shall be no order as to costs. 12. The parties to act on an authenticated copy of this order. [ FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J. ] [ R.I. CHAGLA J. ] 4/4