Sinhgad Society: High Court Orders CBI, ED Probe Into 44 Pune Institutions, Freezes Accounts Over Staff Dues

Pune, 13th November 2026: The Bombay High Court has ordered the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Income Tax Department to investigate the Sinhgad Technical Education Society (STES), which runs 44 schools and colleges in and around Pune. The court also froze the society’s bank accounts after it failed to pay staff dues that have crossed Rs 400 crore.

The order was passed on Tuesday, November 10, by a special bench of Justice G S Kulkarni and Justice Advait M Sethna, The Free Press Journal reported.

What the court has ordered

• CBI to investigate the society and its institutions
• ED to examine the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002
• Income Tax Department, Pune, to examine the returns of the 44 institutions and the trustees
• EPF authorities to check statutory dues owed to employees
• Charity Commissioner to inquire under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950

All bank accounts and investments of the society and its trustees are frozen, and property cannot be sold or transferred. Trustees, including managing trustee Maruti Navale, have deposited their passports and must report to Deccan Police Station every Friday between 6 pm and 7 pm, according to the report.

Why the court acted

About 220 petitions were filed by teaching and non-teaching staff over unpaid salaries and retirement benefits stretching back nearly eight years. On November 6, the society promised to pay Rs 60.65 crore to employees. It did not pay, Bar and Bench reported.

The bench said the situation was “so grave that it is difficult for the Court to remain a mute spectator”. The state government has deposited about Rs 27.77 crore with the court, which will decide how it is released.

What happens to students

Students’ studies should not be disrupted, the court said. Its directions:

• The state Education Department must take over the affected schools or shift students to other schools
• Administrators already appointed will take charge of the technical colleges
• Proceedings will start under the Maharashtra Educational Institutions (Management) Act, 1976

The society’s campuses are in Vadgaon-Ambegaon, Narhe, Kondhwa, Warje, Erandwane and Lonavala. They include engineering, pharmacy, management, law, dental, medical, nursing and architecture colleges, junior colleges and the Sinhgad and Spring Dale schools.

Classes continue for now. Parents and students should watch for official notices from the Education Department, SPPU or the regulators of each course, and keep copies of fee receipts and mark sheets.

How this case developed

Staff at Sinhgad institutions have protested unpaid salaries for years, and the dispute has been in court through repeated contempt petitions. Earlier this month a court stayed the derecognition of some Sinhgad schools, which we covered in Sinhgad schools derecognition: court stay.

What comes next

The next hearing is on Thursday, November 19, at 3 pm before the regular bench. The investigating agencies must file action-taken or preliminary reports by then. The court has also issued contempt show-cause notices to the society and trustees.

The society’s response to the order had not been reported at the time of writing. We will update this story after the hearing. For more, see our education section.

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