Mumbai: We were misled, say parents of those caught in college admissions scam

The Somaiya Vidyavihar University campus at Vidyavihar on Tuesday. Pic/Rajesh Gupta

The admission racket busted at three junior colleges under the Somaiya Trust has exposed irregularities persisting despite the online admission process. Some parents of the affected students, whose admissions now stand cancelled, claim they believed they were securing seats through the management quota and were unaware of any illegality involved. These parents allege paying amounts from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh to secure admissions for their children.

The deputy director of school education, Mumbai, told mid-day that the admissions of these 47 students were conducted under the government's Centralised Admission Process (CAP) and not through the management quota.

A parent said, "We were unaware this was illegal. Everyone wants their child to study at a reputed college, and so did we. When we inquired about admissions, we were told the merit list ended with a higher percentage, and my child couldn't get in. Then someone approached us, offering admission under the management quota. We paid Rs 75,000. Now the admission has been cancelled, and we do not want to involve our child further in this."

The three accused have been remanded to police custody for four days. Representation pic

Another parent, speaking on the condition of anonymity, recounted, "Mahendra Vishnu Patil, 45, approached me and inquired about my daughter's percentage and college preferences. I initially thought he was a parent like me. When I mentioned my daughter's score was 62 per cent and that the cut-off was 86 per cent for K J Somaiya College, Patil offered to help through the management quota. He said he had helped many parents before. I paid Rs 70,000, hoping to secure a seat for my daughter, who had always dreamed of studying at Somaiya College."

Another parent added that, after submitting forms, a group of four to five men, including Patil, approached them outside the college campus. "They offered admission under the management quota. Patil assured me everything would be managed but it would cost Rs 1 lakh. I trusted him as he asked for payment only after the admission was secured."

All 47 students involved in the case passed Std X from some of the city's top schools but failed to secure seats in their preferred colleges due to low marks. Their admissions were facilitated at the three junior colleges under the Somaiya Trust by five accused individuals named in the FIR registered by the Trust after routine reviews revealed document anomalies. The students had been admitted to commerce stream courses.

In October, the principals of all three colleges reported the matter to the Divisional Deputy Director of School Education, Mumbai, and an FIR was registered on Monday. The FIR states that details of the 49 students were found to be fake.

OfficialSpeak

A statement from Sandeep Sangave, divisional deputy director of school education, Mumbai, read: "The principals of S K Somaiya Vinay Mandir Junior College, K J Somaiya College of Science and Commerce, and K J Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce informed this office on October 24 that 47 students were admitted irregularly during the online admission process for Class XI in the academic year 2024-25. A preliminary inquiry revealed that clerks from the Somaiya Trust institutions granted these admissions using fake mark sheets and school-leaving certificates. The principals were instructed to cancel the irregular admissions immediately and initiate administrative and criminal action against the clerks involved. The clerks have since been arrested. This office will ensure further measures are taken to prevent such incidents in the future."

Speaking to mid-day, Sangave said, "These admissions were not under the management quota; they were done through regular CAP rounds. This is the first time such a case has come to light since the online admission process began."

Meanwhile, police continue interrogating the three arrested accused - Mahendra Vishnu Patil, Arjun Rathod, 43, and Devendra Suryakanth Sadaye, 55. "This process could not have been carried out by just two individuals at the college level. Considering forged documents were used for 47 students, more people are likely involved. We have identified three additional suspects, not associated with the college, and are tracking them," a senior police officer said, adding that no students will be part of the investigation as most are minors.

47
No. of admissions cancelled