15 RTE admissions cancelled in Kharghar over fake residential address

MUMBAI: The admissions of 15 students in a Kharghar-based school under the Right to Education (RTE) Act were cancelled after the Panvel Municipal Panchayat Samiti found discrepancies in their residential addresses during a physical verification process. The action followed a complaint from a concerned parent in April after the second round of admissions. The complaint alleged that the school admitted students based on fraudulent documents, prompting an investigation by the education department.

The cancelled admissions were under the 25% quota reserved for students belonging to economically weaker sections, as part of the RTE mandate for the academic year 2025–26.

On Thursday, Sitaram Mihite, the Block Education Officer of the Panvel Panchayat Samiti, wrote a letter to the Raigad Zilla Parishad’s education officer, stating that the 15 admissions in question were all processed online and appeared valid at first. However, the documents submitted by the parents were fraudulent, leading to a directive for further inquiry.

“After receiving the complaint, we asked the school to conduct a thorough investigation. The families failed to provide proof of residence even after being given multiple opportunities,” the letter stated.

The school authorities conducted a physical verification of the residential addresses provided by the RTE Act applicants and found that none of the families resided in the locations they submitted.

Following the findings, the Samiti ordered the cancellation of all 15 admissions. These seats will now be added back into the pool and made available in the upcoming third round of RTE admissions.

The RTE Act mandates that private schools reserve 25% of their seats for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, with admissions based on residence and income criteria.