Honest officer Milind Shenoy removed from post in Minority Development Department by misleading the CM

Corrupt officials remain unchecked
Money allegedly demanded from educational institutions for granting minority status

Mr Pritam Nachankar, Correspondent of Sanatan Prabhat, Mumbai

Mumbai – An audio clip was recently aired on a news channel alleging that Vishakha Adhav, Under Secretary in the Minority Development Department at the Mantralaya, demanded money for granting minority status to educational institutions. Several other serious instances of extortion from institutions have also come to light. Instead of taking action against such corrupt officials, an honest officer, Milind Shenoy, who was serving as Deputy Secretary and was obstructing corrupt practices, has been removed from his post. In a serious development, it is claimed that even Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was misled in this matter. Despite senior officials being aware of Vishakha Adhav’s alleged involvement, they have remained silent. Such corruption and conspiracy against honest officers within the state’s main administrative headquarters (Mantralaya) is considered damaging to the reputation of both the government and administration. The Chief Minister’s Office and Minority Development Minister Sunetra Pawar are expected to take serious note of the issue.

How the CM was misled

During the mourning period following the accidental death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, false information was circulated claiming that Milind Shenoy had granted minority status to 75 educational institutions during that time. (In reality, approval had been given to 75 schools under 25 institutions.) These approvals had already been processed between December 2025 and early January 2026, before Ajit Pawar’s accident. However, due to technical issues, the certificates had not yet been activated. The issue was being resolved by MahaIT. During the mourning period, the technical issue was resolved, and certificates were generated. The original dates on these certificates were allegedly erased and replaced with dates from the mourning period. These altered documents were then reportedly distributed to media representatives by Vishakha Adhav, creating a false narrative that approvals were granted during the mourning period. This misinformation was also conveyed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Based on this, Milind Shenoy was relieved of his duties on 17 February, and he has not yet been reassigned.

Providing official documents directly to the media constitutes misconduct; however, no investigation has yet identified who leaked these documents. Since MahaIT was handling the technical aspects, accurate information is expected from the concerned officials.

Political pressure to remove Shenoy and another officer

There was alleged pressure from an official in the offices of the late Ajit Pawar and current Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar to remove Milind Shenoy and Section Officer Anup Kudav from their posts. References to a senior leader from the Nationalist Congress Party were also reportedly made to exert influence.

Reason behind the conspiracy against Shenoy

For granting minority status in digital certificate form, documents submitted at the district level are verified by the Minority Development Department. Only after verification, certificates are uploaded to the portal with the Deputy Secretary’s digital signature. Earlier, this responsibility was handled by Deputy Secretary Kiran Kumar Wahul, who passed away two months ago. Prior to his death, he had not attended office for nearly three months. During that time, Vishakha Adhav reportedly handled document verification and allegedly used Wahul’s digital signature. After Wahul’s death, the responsibility was assigned to Milind Shenoy. Upon noticing irregularities, Shenoy transferred document verification duties to Section Officer Anup Kudav, thereby preventing Adhav from intervening.

Demand for investigation into Kiran Kumar Wahul’s death

According to some department officials, Kiran Kumar Wahul was under stress before his death and had reportedly developed heavy alcohol dependence. There is a demand for a thorough investigation into the reasons behind his stress, whether his death was natural, and whether there is any link to the alleged corruption.

Complaints filed against Vishakha Adhav

In 2025, six officials from the department submitted written complaints against Vishakha Adhav. Allegations include: pressuring for irregular tender processes, forcing non-compliant purchases, compelling staff to perform duties beyond their authority, retaining files and accusing colleagues of misplacing them, etc. Recently, Adhav was transferred to another position within the department.

No response from Vishakha Adhav

A representative from “Sanatan Prabhat” attempted to contact Vishakha Adhav for her response, but she did not answer the calls.

Enquiry initiated on Chief Minister’s orders

An enquiry into the entire matter is currently underway by the office of the Chief Secretary, following orders from the Chief Minister. A committee has also been formed for this purpose. It is expected that honest officers who strengthen governance through integrity will not be demoralised, and that those involved in corruption will face appropriate action.