Maharashtra has formed a seven-member committee to recommend changes to the law governing admissions and fee regulation in professional education institutions, setting a 10-day deadline for a draft amendment to be submitted to the state government.
The committee was constituted through a government resolution issued by the Higher and Technical Education Department on November 6. Its review will cover the Maharashtra Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission) and Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Fees) Act, 2015, along with the rules framed under it.
The move could affect how admissions are conducted for professional courses and how fees are determined in unaided private institutions. However, the government has not yet announced the specific provisions that will be changed. Those details are expected to emerge after the committee submits its recommendations and the administration takes a subsequent decision.
The review follows proposals submitted to the government by the Directorate of Technical Education, the Admission Regulating Authority and the Fee Regulating Authority. The committee has been asked to study these proposals comprehensively and identify changes required in the existing law and related regulations.
Retired principal secretary Rajendra Bhagwat has been appointed chairperson of the committee. Its members include the member secretary of the Fee Regulating Authority; the member secretary of the Admission Regulating Authority and commissioner of the State Common Entrance Test Cell; the director of the Directorate of Higher Education; the director of the Directorate of Technical Education; and D. P. Gomore, a retired adviser and joint secretary from the Law and Judiciary Department.
The committee will examine the current statutory provisions, proposed amendments and associated rules before preparing a revised draft law with recommendations. Its work will be conducted at the Mumbai office of the Directorate of Technical Education, and the draft must be submitted to the government within 10 days.
The review places the state’s admission and fee framework under scrutiny at a time when students and parents depend on predictable procedures for professional courses, while private institutions require clear regulatory rules for admissions and fee approvals. Until the committee’s report is submitted and the government announces its next decision, existing provisions under the 2015 law remain the operative framework. The government’s decision after receiving the draft will determine the scope and implementation of any amendments.
