The latest allotment for private Ayurveda colleges in Maharashtra has ignited a major controversy, revealing a significant breach of the state's domicile reservation policy. An analysis of the provisional merit list shows that candidates from outside Maharashtra have secured multiple seats, despite a rule reserving 85% of seats for students domiciled in the state.
Top Ranks Dominated by Non-Domicile Candidates
In a startling pattern, five out of the first ten rank holders in the merit list are out-of-state candidates. This trend strongly indicates that the practice of seat-blocking, commonly associated with engineering and medical (MBBS) admissions, is now infiltrating the Ayurveda stream as well. Many of these high-ranking students do not meet the state's domicile criteria, raising serious questions about how they were admitted into the process.
Specific cases highlight the issue. Mohit Mayank, who holds the second rank in the fourth provisional list, hails from Patna. Instead of choosing the prestigious RA Podar Ayurveda College in Mumbai, he has selected Siddhakala Ayurved Mahavidyalaya in Sangamner. Similarly, the third-rank holder, Raj, and the ninth-rank holder, Himanshu Bansal from Gurugram, are also from outside Maharashtra.
Agents and Fake Details: Unraveling the Malpractice
Activist Sachin Bangad, who petitioned the state CET Cell, pointed out a disturbing trend. He stated that students with very high scores from other states, some already holding seats through the all-India quota or in government colleges in their home states, are appearing on Maharashtra's list. "Agents are reaching out to such high scorers," Bangad explained. With or without the student's knowledge, agents use their documents to register them in Maharashtra to secure seats they never intend to claim.
These blocked seats often remain vacant until the final admission round. Subsequently, private colleges take matters into their own hands, negotiating directly with students to fill the spots, potentially for a premium. This malpractice deprives eligible local students of opportunities.
A senior CET Cell official confirmed they are examining the details of these candidates. The issue echoes a similar scandal in this year's MBBS admissions, where the state discovered fake documents and contact details submitted by several candidates. "We are still waiting for contact details from the Medical Counselling Committee... so that further action can be taken," the official said.
Political Reaction and Demand for Probe
The controversy has reached the political arena. Dhananjay Shinde, general secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding a thorough investigation into this growing malpractice.
The admission process saw over 20,000 aspirants in the list for the Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) course, which is often the second choice for students who do not secure an MBBS seat. After the first two admission rounds, the state opened fresh registration for rounds three and four, which is when these irregularities came to light.
The state CET Cell now faces pressure to verify documents stringently before finalizing the merit list to ensure justice for genuine domiciled students of Maharashtra.
