Plea Challenges Distance-Based RTE Admissions, HC Seeks State’s Reply The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Maharashtra government and other respondents regarding a petition challenging the state’s revised distance-based lottery system for admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act quota. A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by social activists Ashish Fulzele, Aniket Kuttarmare, and Vaibhav Kamble. The petition questions the legality of the state government’s April 6, 2026, order introducing a phased lottery system for admissions to the 25% reserved seats in private schools under the RTE Act. The petition argues that the revised system, which groups students based on their residential distance from schools—categorized into 0–1 km, 1–3 km, 3–5 km, and beyond 5 km—creates an unequal admission process. Petitioners contend that this classification discriminates against eligible children living farther away from schools, undermining the principle of equal opportunity. They emphasized that the high court had previously struck down a similar distance restriction in RTE admissions, ruling that students from disadvantaged sections could not be denied access to schools located beyond one kilometre from their residence. Following that ruling, the state government had withdrawn the mandatory distance condition. The petitioners claim that the current phased system grants first preference to students residing within one kilometre of a school, potentially denying admission to eligible students from distant areas if all seats are filled in the initial phase.#maharashtra_government #bombay_high_court #ashish_fulzele #aniket_kuttarmare #vaibhav_kamble
Maharashtra Govt Scraps RTE 1km Radius Cap After Court Ruling Nagpur: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday withdrew the one-kilometre distance criterion for admissions under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, informing the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court that parents can now apply for schools beyond the earlier geographical limit. The state also extended the deadline for online applications for the 2026–27 academic year to March 25. The decision came during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging a February 12, 2026, government resolution that imposed the distance restriction under the RTE Act, 2009. The petition was filed by social activists Ashish Fulzhele, Aniket Kuttarmare, and Vaibhav Kamble. A bench of Justices Anil Pansare and Nivedita Mehta was informed that the Primary Education Director, Pune, had issued a fresh communication omitting the distance cap. The court had earlier noted that prior communications were inconsistent with its directions and emphasized adherence to statutory provisions ensuring free and compulsory education. The state clarified that the restriction of "one kilometre from residence" has been removed, and the court disposed of the petition as the grievance was addressed. The application deadline, originally set for March 16, was extended to March 25 to ensure wider participation. The government stated that only partial compliance had been achieved so far, with several applications remaining incomplete. Authorities were directed to mark such applications as "unconfirmed," allowing parents to review and resubmit them under the revised criteria. A notification system will be introduced on the online portal to prompt applicants to complete the confirmation process.#bombay_high_court #maharashtra_govt #ashish_fulzhele #aniket_kuttarmare #vaibhav_kamble
