The department clarified that no new files were digitally signed and no minority status certificates were distributed on the day Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level inquiry and stayed the approvals.
He warned of strict action if any irregularities are found.
The Maharashtra Minority Development Department has stated that no new files were digitally signed and no minority status certificates were issued on January 28 — the day Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash.
The clarification follows a controversy over the alleged rapid approval of minority status for 75 educational institutions in the days after Pawar’s death. At the time, he was in charge of the Minority Development Department.
Minority status grants educational institutions key regulatory advantages, including exemption from certain provisions of the Right to Education Act — such as the 25 per cent quota for economically weaker sections — as well as access to grants and greater administrative autonomy in appointments and internal governance.
Pawar and four others were killed in a plane crash in Baramati, in Pune district, on the morning of January 28.
In a detailed statement posted on X late Monday night, the department said that no digital signatures were affixed to new files or certificates on January 28 and that no certificates were distributed that day.
It emphasised that the entire process of granting minority status is conducted online in a transparent manner, strictly following the provisions of the Government Resolution dated May 27, 2013. Applications are examined and certificates issued only after district-level verification, the statement said.
Dismissing reports of irregularities or rushed approvals, the department described the allegations as "completely baseless" and said they amounted to a distortion of facts.
The issue gained momentum last week after the department’s deputy secretary, Milind Padmanabh Shenoy, was removed from his post. The move came after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stayed the approvals granted to the institutions.
Officials said the first minority certificate was allegedly issued at 3.09 pm on January 28, with seven institutions receiving approvals that day. The number of approvals reportedly rose to 75 within the next three days, raising questions about the pace of processing.
A high-level inquiry has been ordered to review how the files were cleared, whether due procedure was followed, and whether any earlier suspension on issuing minority certificates had been formally lifted.
The chief minister has sought a detailed report on the sequence of events and warned of strict action if any procedural lapses or irregularities are found, a senior official had earlier said.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minority Development Minister Sunetra Pawar, who was sworn in following her husband Ajit Pawar’s death, had earlier directed officials to conduct a thorough probe and take firm action if wrongdoing is established.
(with PTI inputs)
