State withdraws reservation for vacant seats in minority colleges after HC order

The latest GR restores the original admission framework where minority institutions are exempt from social reservations, even for seats that eventually fall into the CAP

Mumbai: After the Bombay high court’s intervention, the state government has reversed its decision to impose social reservation on vacant seats in minority colleges. The new government resolution (GR) issued on Monday said that reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) will no longer apply to minority institutions in the state. The new GR added that seats in minority institutions, even after being surrendered to the centralised admission process (CAP), will be filled on the basis of merit.

After the Bombay high court’s intervention, the state government has reversed its decision to impose social reservation on vacant seats in minority colleges. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

The issue first surfaced when the state uploaded the number of seats available in various courses and categories for the 2025–26 First Year Junior College (FYJC) admission cycle on its official portal. Minority institutions noticed changes in the seat allotment and raised concerns about how unfilled seats would be allotted.

On June 10, the government addressed the confusion by issuing a GR that said minority colleges retained the right to fill 50% of their seats with students from their respective communities. The GR added that unfilled seats could be offered to students from other minority groups, and if they still remained vacant, they would be transferred to the general admission pool where social reservations would apply.

However, the Maharashtra Association of Minority Educational Institutions (MAMEI) and several minority-run colleges strongly opposed the change. They argued that enforcing social reservations on minority institutions infringed upon their constitutional rights. On June 12, they filed a petition in the Bombay high court, and the court put a pause on the original GR issued on May 6 which had tried to impose reservations on vacant seats in minority institutions.

A principal of a minority college said, “With the high court stepping in, the state government has now officially withdrawn its previous position.” He added that the latest resolution restores the original admission framework where minority institutions are exempt from social reservations, even for seats that eventually fall into the CAP.