The Maharashtra government has extended the deadline for minority educational institutions to apply for digitally signed minority status certificates by six months, even as the overall process of granting minority status remains suspended amid an ongoing inquiry into alleged irregularities.

A month after the earlier deadline ended on April 20, the Minority Development Department (MDD) issued a fresh government resolution extending the deadline till October 20, 2026.

“The extension is only for those institutions which had applied before the controversy and the process of granting the status was complete. As of now the procedure is halted and no new applications are being entertained,” said Yogesh Mhase, Secretary, Minority Development Department.

All minority educational institutions that had obtained offline minority status certificates before July 2017 were earlier granted six months — from October 2025 to April 20, 2026 — to apply online for digitally signed certificates. The latest extension gives institutions another six months to complete the process.

“Now, an extension has been granted until 20.10.2026 for minority educational institutions to apply online to obtain their religious/linguistic minority status certificate,” the government resolution stated.

The state has currently put the process of granting minority status on hold pending an inquiry headed by senior IAS officer B Venugopal Reddy. Officials said a decision on resuming approvals would be taken after submission of the committee’s report.

The controversy erupted after allegations surfaced that minority status certificates were granted to 73 educational institutions within days of death of former deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was then handling the minority affairs portfolio.

Explanations submitted by the Minority Development Department, earlier reported by The Indian Express, stated that at least 19 of the 20 societies and trusts whose certificates were uploaded between January 29 and February 4 had completed hearings and received approvals between December 24, 2025 and January 27, 2026, when Ajit Pawar was still in office.

Officials had attributed the bulk upload of certificates between January 28 and 30 to rectification of IT-related issues that delayed generation of digitally signed certificates. The department had termed allegations of arbitrary approvals “baseless” and a “distortion of facts” in its communication to the Chief Secretary.

Following the controversy, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered that all approvals be kept in abeyance pending review, while Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar directed a detailed inquiry into the process.

Milind Shenoy, Deputy Secretary in the Minority Development Department, whose digital signature appeared on the uploaded certificates, was subsequently transferred on administrative grounds and posted to the Planning Department.