MHT CET 2026: Maha CET Cell chief addresses Aadhaar, APAAR ID woes, says detail mismatch not disqualifying

Dileep Sardesai, commissioner of the State Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, Maharashtra, today addressed a press conference in Mumbai. He responded to the challenges faced by the candidates during the MHT CET 2026 registration process due to the Aadhaar and APAAR requirements.

Answering to the reporters queries, the commissioner said that no candidate will be barred from appearing in the exam even if there is a mismatch of details.

“During the counselling process, if there's a minor/spelling mismatch in Aadhar and other documents, it will be resolved through other corroborating documents,” Sardesai added.

However, he also stated that in case of change in name, candidates will have to produce supporting documents such as gazette notification or marriage certificate. The commissioner further said that candidates can easily create their APAAR ID.

The CET Cell has provided a user manual on its official website on steps to creating APAAR ID and Aadhaar authentication, and candidates can follow the steps and create their credentials, he added.

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'No stopping even if name's wrong'

“Even if their documents and marksheets are not available, they can still get an ID and upload the documents later. In order to proceed, one will also need a DigiLocker account. Once that's created, candidates can proceed towards creating APAAR ID,” Sardesai said in the press conference.

It will take “hardly” one to two minutes to create a candidate’s APAAR ID, he added.

Moreover, responding to a question on comparing the CET registration fee with the Joint Entrance Examination, the commission said that the state’s expenditure is higher and the reserved category students pay less.

“We didn't hike the fees for the last three years even as the cost kept increasing,” the commissioner said. The Maharashtra CET registration fee is Rs 1,300, while the JEE application fee is Rs 1,000.

In addition, Sardesai further informed the reporters that even if the names in Aadhaar and board marksheets are different, the Maha CET admit card will display all the names.

“We are nowhere obstructing or restricting students anywhere, even if they input incorrect names,” Sardesai added.