Cant make late change in varsity admission norms

Updated on: Monday, November 21, 2011

The government can’t change at the last minute admission norms spelt out clearly in the prospectus published by a university, the Supreme Court (SC) has ruled.

Such a change, it said, would be illegal.

SC said stated norms should be followed strictly, particularly in admissions under central and state quotas to super-specialty courses such as post-graduate medical to ensure there is no “manipulation”.

“Selection for admission should be finalised in the light of criteria specified in the government order already in force and [spelt out] in the prospectus,” a three-judge bench of justices Altamas Kabir, Cyriac Joseph and S.S. Nijjar ruled.

SC further clarified that once government orders on admission criteria had been included in the prospectus, “it is not open to the state government to alter terms and conditions a day before counselling has to begin”.

This would “deny” fair opportunity to candidates already selected as per the admission procedure spelt out in the prospectus prepared by the university, the top court said.

The government was debarred from “interfering” in university admissions after publication of the prospectus, apparently to prevent “political interference”.

The ruling came on an appeal by six doctors from Haryana whose admission to post-graduate courses in Pandit B.D. Sharma University had landed in trouble due to last-minute changes in rules made by the state on granting no-objection certificates to serving government doctors for admission under Haryana civil medical services reserved quota.

Cant make late change in varsity admission norms

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