The Panvel City Police have registered an FIR against 24 parents for allegedly submitting forged address proofs to secure their children's admission under the 25 per cent Right to Education (RTE) quota meant for underprivileged students in private unaided schools.

The case was filed based on a complaint submitted on July 3 by Sitaram Rama Mohite, Education Officer at the Panchayat Samiti and Chairperson of the RTE Admission Verification Committee.

The alleged fraud came to light after the Panvel Taluka Panchayat Samiti, on March 25, directed all unaided and private schools in the area to verify the residence proof submitted by selected applicants. As per RTE guidelines, children living within a one-kilometre radius of the school are given priority for admission under the quota.

During verification, several schools in Kharghar, including Vishwajyot High School, Wigbor High School, and Ramsheth Thakur Public School, reported that the parents could not be traced at the addresses mentioned in their submitted documents.

“It is alleged that the accused either tampered with original documents or submitted completely fabricated residence proofs to falsely claim eligibility under the RTE quota,” said the investigating officer from Panvel Police.

The online admission process was held on January 13, 2025, with applications processed via a lottery system managed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). After selection, parents were required to provide residence and other supporting documents for verification.

Following the revelations, the police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Section 318(4) – Cheating, Section 336(2) – Forgery, Section 338 – Forgery of valuable securities, and Section 340(2) – Forgery of documents.

Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have reiterated the importance of strict scrutiny to ensure the integrity of the RTE admission process, which aims to provide equitable education access to economically disadvantaged children.