After Ajit’s death, Maha logs rise in grant of minority status

For over 100 days, the Minority Development Department in Maharashtra, part of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's portfolios, did not grant minority status to any institution.

- Shrinivas Deshpande

Then, starting January 28, few hours after he died in a plane crash, on the two days that followed, and on February 2, 75 institutions across the state were granted minority status according to documents reviewed by Hindustan Times.

Minority Development Department's additional secretary Milind Shenoy, whose signature appears on the certificates, did not respond to HT’s requests for a comment.

The documents show that the first approval was recorded at 3.09 pmon January 28, when government offices were officially closed following the chief minister's announcement of a half-day holiday as part of state mourning. Nine institutions received minority status certificates on January 28 alone, followed bya large batch of approvals on January 29 and 30, The process resumed on February 2after a Sunday break.

What has raised eyebrows is the sharp contrast with the preceding months. From August last year until January 27, not a single minority status certificate was issued during Pawar’s tenure. In contrast, 75 institutions were cleared within just four days of his death.

State Minority Commission chairman Pyare Khan has termed the episode “shocking” and demanded a CID probe into the approvals. He has also sought strict action against officials found responsible for violating established procedures and announced that more than 8,500 minority schools across Maharashtra will be scrutinised.

“The sudden spurtin approvals during the mourning period has raised serious questions about whether the earlier stay was bypassed and who authorised these clearances. There needs to

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