Now Reading: Rohit Pawar demands judicial probe into Rs 2,300 crore CET scam
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Rohit Pawar demands judicial probe into Rs 2,300 crore CET scam
The Story in Brief
NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, demanded a judicial inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, into the alleged Maharashtra CET engineering admission scam, proposing former Supreme Court judge Abhay Oak to head it. He alleged irregularities worth Rs 2,300 crore involving private firm Eduspark, questioning how it repeatedly secured contracts from the state's higher education department. Pawar also sought the resignation of Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil and Maharashtra CET Commissioner Dileep Sardesai.
The allegations follow a sting operation presented by coaching centre owners and guidance counsellors, in which a manager at a Pune institute reportedly offered guaranteed top CET results for Rs 25 lakh per student. Pawar has filed a complaint with the Pimpri-Chinchwad Police, but said no FIR has been registered. He gave the state government 10 days to act, warning the Opposition would take the issue across Maharashtra. Patil's office said an impartial probe would follow if evidence is formally submitted.
Pawar also alleged a data leak involving the CET and demanded that upcoming examinations be conducted offline using OMR sheets to prevent software manipulation.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The two reports agree on the core allegations Rohit Pawar made, a Rs 2,300 crore scam, a sting operation quoting Rs 25 lakh for guaranteed admission, and a demand for a judicial probe, but differ in framing and emphasis. Deccan Chronicle leads with the procedural demand for a Commission of Inquiry Act probe headed by former Supreme Court judge Abhay Oak, and gives significant space to the detailed PowerPoint presentation and the specific naming of institutions such as COEP and VJTI. Yes Punjab News leads with the larger monetary figure in its headline and adds a concrete political escalation: a 10-day deadline and a demand for the resignations of Minister Chandrakant Patil and CET Commissioner Dileep Sardesai.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): deccanchronicle.com (neutral report), yespunjab.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
