The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that under the new one-kilometre rule, which was 3 km last year, about 35,000 seats in unaided private schools remain vacant across the state in the academic year 2026-27 under Right To Education (RTE) admission.
The admission for the upcoming academic year has already begun from February 17, 2026, in Maharashtra, including in Pune and Mumbai, under RTE. But parents are concerned about the state government's new rules to reduce the eligible distance of schools from 3 km to 1 km from a child’s residential address.
AAP during a press briefing alleged the rule is "illegal" and to is created "deliberately" by the Maharashtra government to curtail admission under the RTE Act.
Also Read | Maharashtra RTE Admission 2026-27: Here's How to Apply Online, Required Documents and Important Dates.
Under the RTE Act, private schools in Maharashtra are required to reserve 25% seats for students belonging to the economically weaker section of the society or disadvantaged groups. The government reimburses private schools for these admissions.
For the upcoming academic year 2026-27, the Maharashtra government, in its notification, stated that students will only be able to select within a one-kilometre radius from their permanent residential address. This reflect those students will not get admission in their desired school.
Data from the Maharashtra RTE portal, accessed by The Indian Express, shows that 15,706 of the 88,182 students admitted in the previous year’s cycle were allocated schools located more than one kilometre from their homes.
In the same cycle, 20,920 RTE seats remained vacant out of the total 1,09,102 available. According to education activist Kirdat, applying the one-kilometre rule would leave an additional 15,706 seats unfilled, pushing the total number of vacant seats to more than 35,000.