PUNE, Feb. 17 -- Seventy-five institutions across Maharashtra were granted minority status within hours of deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar's death in a plane crash at Baramati on January 28. These files were cleared by the Minority Development Department, which was under Pawar's charge at the time. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, who is currently in charge of the minority affairs development, ordered a probe into the incident. As per the documents reviewed by Hindustan Times, the first approval was recorded at 3.09 pm on 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 by a large batch of approvals on January 29 and 30. The process resumed on February 2 after 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 Ajit Pawar's tenure. In contrast, 75 institutions were cleared within just four days of his death. Records indicate that the process of granting minority status had effectively been put on hold following a letter issued on October 12, 2025, by the minister for minority development. The letter directed the department to carry out a detailed review of institutions seeking minority status and explicitly instructed that no further approvals be granted until verification was completed after it emerged that educational institutions were misusing the minority status to bypass giving admission to underprivileged students under the Right To Education. The review was meant to assess whether institutions met key requirements, including proof of minority management, compliance with norms prescribed under education laws, appointment of qualified teachers, availability of basic infrastructure and facilities, and adherence to conditions linked to student welfare and participation in co-curricular activities. Only after submission and scrutiny of these reports were approvals to resume. "The bureaucracy showed bewildering haste in clearing these 75 proposals. There are over 1,000 proposals for minority status still pending, and many more could have been processed had the matter not come to light," said Akshay Jain, general secretary of Pune Youth Congress, who first flagged the issue. Among the institutions that received approvals during the controversial January window were 25 schools run by Podar International School, all cleared on January 29. Schools managed by St Xavier's institutions, as well as those run by Swami Shanti Prakash and Devprakash institutions, also feature in the list. Hindustan Times attempted to contact Pavan Podar, chairman of Podar Education Centre, but there was no response. The controversy has also drawn attention to how minority status is granted and the benefits attached to it. According to education experts, minority status flows from Article 30(1) of the Constitution of India which gives religious and linguistic minorities the right to establish and administer educational institutions of their choice. An educational institution can apply for minority status if it is started and managed by a religious or linguistic minority community. In Maharashtra, religious minorities recognised by the state include Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. Linguistic minorities include communities whose mother tongue is Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, Kannada, Tamil or Telugu. To qualify for minority status, an institution is required to demonstrate that its founders or a majority of its trustees belong to the minority community concerned, that effective management and decision-making powers rest with members of that community, and that the trust deed or other official founding documents clearly state that the institution has been established for the benefit of that minority. Once minority status is granted, institutions receive several exemptions and protections. They are not required to implement the mandatory 25% quota for students from economically weaker sections under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. They also enjoy greater autonomy and protection from excessive government interference in internal management. These institutions are also eligible for various government grants. Official data from the Maharashtra Minority Development Department shows that minority status has been granted to a large number of institutions over the years. According to departmental records available up to March 9, 2021, a total of 3,221 institutions across the state were granted minority status between 2007 and March 2021, with the list being updated periodically. Following the controversy, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered a high-level inquiry into the case. He directed chief secretary Rajesh Agarwal to conduct the investigation and ensure strict action against those found guilty, confirmed highly placed sources in the government. Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar, who is also holding the charge of minority affairs development, also ordered the department to conduct a thorough investigation. The directives were issued in a review meeting of the minority affairs department held by Sunetra Pawar on Monday. She directed that the functioning of the department should become more people-oriented and accountable to society. 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 in the state would be scrutinised. Officials of the Minority Development Department, including additional secretary Milind Shenoy, whose signature appears on the certificates, were unavailable for comment....