MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Wednesday stayed the admission process for entry to the Government Law College (GLC) by a day after a CBSE student challenged the college's decision to deduct 5% marks from the results of all applicants who cleared their Std XII exams from non-state boards. On Thursday, the court will decide whether GLC's decision to deduct 5% from the scores of non-state board students is legal or not.
The decision was taken despite the fact that as per the University of Mumbai's ordinance, there can be no discrimination between state and central board students.
"How can only one college do this? This shows no application of mind. It is causing inconvenience to students,'' said Justice D K Deshmukh who, along with Justice R G Ketkar, was hearing a petition filed by Swati Khinvasara, a CBSE student who scored 88.4% in her board exam.
In her petition, Khinvasara sought court's directive to quash GLC's decision to reduce the marks of non-state board students applying for the five-year law course. Khinvasara had applied for admission to the law college, but when the third merit list was declared on July 4, 2011, she found that students who had secured lesser marks than her had been allotted seats. Upon enquiry, she was told that because she had not given her Std XII board exam from the Maharashtra Secondary School Board and 5% of her marks had been deducted during the selection process.
In her petition, Khinvasara stated that when she asked the college authorities if there was a rule or regulation, she was given a copy of the decision take by Higher Technical Education Department dated June 14, 2011. According to the document, the decision to deduct students' percentages had been taken by the local administration committee of GLC in 2005. The college expressed its inability to admit Khinvasara on the basis of the actual marks she had secured.
Her advocate Mukesh Vashi argued that the decision reflected in the letter was arbitrary and without legal authority. "It is discrimination to students from other boards and contrary to the ordinance issued by University of Mumbai,'' said Vashi.
Advocate Rui Rodrigues, appearing for the University of Mumbai, also produced the ordinance which lists the candidate's eligibility for the five-year degree course and submitted that that there is no differentiation or discrimination against students from outside boards. The judges said that more weightage will be given to the University ordinance.
The government lawyer sought time to take instruction from the joint secretary of the Higher Technical Education Department. The HC adjourned the case to Thursday and directed that the admission procedure be stayed till then. GLC has around 300 seats for first year law students. All have been filled except for 24 seats.
The decision was taken despite the fact that as per the University of Mumbai's ordinance, there can be no discrimination between state and central board students.
"How can only one college do this? This shows no application of mind. It is causing inconvenience to students,'' said Justice D K Deshmukh who, along with Justice R G Ketkar, was hearing a petition filed by Swati Khinvasara, a CBSE student who scored 88.4% in her board exam.
In her petition, Khinvasara sought court's directive to quash GLC's decision to reduce the marks of non-state board students applying for the five-year law course. Khinvasara had applied for admission to the law college, but when the third merit list was declared on July 4, 2011, she found that students who had secured lesser marks than her had been allotted seats. Upon enquiry, she was told that because she had not given her Std XII board exam from the Maharashtra Secondary School Board and 5% of her marks had been deducted during the selection process.
In her petition, Khinvasara stated that when she asked the college authorities if there was a rule or regulation, she was given a copy of the decision take by Higher Technical Education Department dated June 14, 2011. According to the document, the decision to deduct students' percentages had been taken by the local administration committee of GLC in 2005. The college expressed its inability to admit Khinvasara on the basis of the actual marks she had secured.
Her advocate Mukesh Vashi argued that the decision reflected in the letter was arbitrary and without legal authority. "It is discrimination to students from other boards and contrary to the ordinance issued by University of Mumbai,'' said Vashi.
Advocate Rui Rodrigues, appearing for the University of Mumbai, also produced the ordinance which lists the candidate's eligibility for the five-year degree course and submitted that that there is no differentiation or discrimination against students from outside boards. The judges said that more weightage will be given to the University ordinance.
The government lawyer sought time to take instruction from the joint secretary of the Higher Technical Education Department. The HC adjourned the case to Thursday and directed that the admission procedure be stayed till then. GLC has around 300 seats for first year law students. All have been filled except for 24 seats.
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