1. Key idea: directing effect in electrophilic aromatic substitution

   We need the compound whose halogenation gives the meta-substituted product with respect to the methyl group as the major product.

2. Effect of substituents

   • A methyl group is ortho/para-directing.
   • To get substitution meta with respect to methyl, there must be another substituent already on the ring that is a strong meta-directing group, and its directing influence should dominate.

3. Required situation

   If a benzene ring contains both:

   • a methyl group and
   • a strong electron-withdrawing meta-directing group such as $-NO_2$, $-CHO$, $-COOH$, $-COOR$, $-COR$, etc.,

   then incoming halogen tends to enter at a position that is meta to the methyl group if that position is simultaneously favored by the stronger meta-directing substituent.

4. Typical correct choice

   In standard JEE questions of this type, the correct structure is the one where a strong meta director is present along with the methyl group, such as methyl benzoic acid / nitrotoluene / similar ring where the available favored site becomes meta to methyl. Since the actual structures for options A, B, C, D are not displayed here, we infer from the stored answer and the directing-effect rule that option C must correspond to that structure.

5. Conclusion

   Therefore, the compound in option C will give the meta-substituted product with respect to the methyl group as the major product on halogenation.

Note: The image/structures of options are missing in the text provided. So the choice is based on the directing-effect principle and the given stored key.