912-wp-12111-2026.doc jsn IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION WRIT PETITION NO.12111 OF 2026 Anushka D/o. Krushna Reddy (Minor Thru. Her Father Krushna Chandrakant Reddy) ...Petitioner Versus The State of Maharashtra & Ors. ...Respondents ---------- Mr. Ghanshyam K. Chinchole with Mr. Ratan Adhe and Mr. Shubham Nikam for the Petitioner. Mr. Nikhil Chavan, for Respondent No.2 – CET Cell. Mr. O.A. Chandurkar, Addl. G.P. with Mr. V.M. Mali, AGP for State. ---------- CORAM : R.I. CHAGLA AND FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, JJ. DATE : 10TH SEPTEMBER, 2026. O R D E R: 1. Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. Heard by consent of parties. 2. The Petitioner has moved the Aurangabad Bench of this Court vide Writ Petition No.9042 of 2026 and wherein Order dated 31st July 2026 came to be passed directing the Scrutiny Committee to decide the Tribe Validity Claim of the Petitioner as early as possible 1/3 JITENDRA SHANKAR NIJASURE Digitally signed by JITENDRA SHANKAR NIJASURE Date: 2026.09.11 18:11:03 +0530 912-wp-12111-2026.doc and in any case, within a period of three months from the date of the said Order. 3. In the present case, the Petitioner having filed his claim way back on 19th May 2025 for the validity of her Tribe Validity Certificate, and the same not having been considered by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Verification Committee, Kinwat – 2, Headquarter at Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar, we consider it appropriate to direct the Respondent No. 2 - State CET Cell to allow the Petitioner to participate in CAP Round 2 of NEET-UG 2026 and onwards by treating the Petitioner’s application from Scheduled Tribe Category without insisting upon the submission of the Tribe Validity Certificate, as the tribe validity claim of the Petitioner is pending before Scheduled Tribe Certificate Verification Committee. This is upon considering that, by a subsequent Government Resolution dated 4th September 2026, the Respondent State has extended the benefit of Government Resolution dated 2nd July 2026 by revising the period from six months to three months to other categories, by leaving out Scheduled Tribes for the submission of their Caste Validity Certificate for the purposes of admission to the Educational Institute. 2/3 912-wp-12111-2026.doc 4. We further make it clear that this Order is made subject to the Petitioner’s Tribe Validity Claim being decided in favour of the Petitioner by the Scheduled Tribe Certificate Verification Committee. 5. The Writ Petition is disposed of in these terms. No order as to costs. [ FIRDOSH P. POONIWALLA, J. ] [ R.I. CHAGLA J. ] 3/3