The Bombay High Court has extended the benefit of a three-month extension for submitting a caste validity certificate to a Scheduled Tribe (ST) student whose admission to a B.Sc. Honours Agriculture course was at risk because her tribe validity claim was still pending.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh and Justice Neeraj P. Dhote passed the order on September 4, 2026, in Snehal Anandrao Bhosale v. The State of Maharashtra and Others, Writ Petition No. 4410 of 2026. The order has also been independently reported, matching the key directions in the judgment.
Background of the Case
The petitioner had secured admission to the B.Sc. Honours Agriculture course for the academic year 2026-27 against an ST-reserved seat. She had submitted her tribe claim for verification on March 30, 2026, but the Caste Scrutiny Committee had not decided it by the deadline for submitting the validity certificate.
Meanwhile, a Government Circular dated September 4, 2026 extended the deadline by three months for Scheduled Caste, Nomadic Tribes, VJ & NT, Other Backward Class and Special Backward Class candidates, but did not specifically mention Scheduled Tribes.
Court's Observation
The High Court found the exclusion of ST students from the circular, prima facie, discriminatory.
"Though, there is no specific mention of Scheduled Tribe in the Circular dated 4th September 2026, there is no reason as to why the time for submitting the caste validity certificate should not be extended identically in respect of ST student."
The Court noted that the petitioner had already secured admission and that her validity claim remained pending before the Scrutiny Committee.
Decision
The High Court held that the petitioner was entitled to the three-month extension for submitting her caste validity certificate. It directed the Scrutiny Committee to decide her proposal within six weeks.
The Court also ordered the concerned authorities not to cancel her B.Sc. Honours Agriculture admission for the 2026-27 academic year until the next date of hearing, and posted the matter for September 28, 2026.
Case Details
Case Title: Snehal Anandrao Bhosale v. The State of Maharashtra and Others
Case Number: Writ Petition No. 4410 of 2026
Judge: Justice Sharmila U. Deshmukh and Justice Neeraj P. Dhote
Decision Date: September 4, 2026
