Pune: The Maharashtra State Common Entrance Test Cell (CET Cell) has come under scrutiny following its recent decision to cancel admissions for students from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in engineering courses.
Initially, the CET Cell had announced ten percent additional seats for EWS students, and many students proceeded to confirm their admissions based on this allocation.
However, shortly after these admissions were finalized, the CET Cell cited various reasons for their cancellation, leaving students and their families perplexed about the fate of the additional seats that had been promised. This situation has raised serious questions about the admissions process and transparency within the CET Cell.
Students have expressed their grievances, stating that the required certificates were rejected on the grounds of not conforming to the state government's draft or specified format.
In Maharashtra, 'EWS' certificates are issued by Tehsil offices in a standard format; however, the CET Cell did not recognize these certificates, leading to frustration among affected students.
This issue had previously been highlighted to Dilip Sardesai, the Commissioner of the CET Cell, who assured that measures would be taken to ensure that no student suffers academically as a result of these changes. Nonetheless, the subsequent cancellation of admissions has contradicted his assurances.
Attempts to reach Commissioner Sardesai for comments on the CET Cell's stance regarding these cancellations went unanswered. Students argue that the uniform 'EWS' certificates provided by the Tehsil offices should be valid, and there was no justification for the CET Cell to reject them.
They contend that this situation is not a fault of the students, and the CET Cell should not contest the validity of government-issued certificates.
The Yuva Sena has raised concerns about the academic losses faced by students due to this issue, urging the CET Cell to promptly clarify the status of the additional seats allocated for EWS students.
Kalpesh Yadav, Co-Secretary of Yuva Sena, has called for accountability and a transparent resolution to the admissions crisis.
