Bombay HC asks authorities to consider IT as an optional subject

Updated on: Monday, September 10, 2012

Holding that Information Technology (Science) should be considered as an optional subject for admission to Bachelor of Engineering Course, the Bombay High Court has directed the authorities to consider the case of a student who had passed in this subject.

Hearing a petition filed by the student, Aakash Kamalapur, Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice A A Sayed held that the marks obtained by him in Information Technology (Science) shall qualify in determining eligibility to seek admission in engineering course together with marks obtained in compulsory subjects, viz Physics and Mathematics.

However, the judges clarified that this would not disturb the admissions already granted and asked the authorities to permit the petitioner to participate in the admission process from institutional seats quota.

The process of admission for filling up of Government seats for the Engineering courses in the Centralised Admissions Process is over and only the institution level seats remain to be filled up. "Hence, any relief to be granted to the Petitioner, can only be in respect of institutional seats", the bench noted.

The Petitioner passed HSC examination in May 2012 and appeared for the Common Entrance Test in Maharashtra to seek admission to Engineering Degree course.

As per the eligibility requirement of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) he should have obtained a minimum of 45 per cent marks in compulsory subjects ie Mathematics and Physics and any one optional subject viz Chemistry / Biology / Biotechnology / Technical Vocational subject.

The Petitioner has passed in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as also in Information Technology (Science).

The Directorate of Technical Education informed the Petitioner that he was not eligible for admission since he had obtained less than 44.50 percent marks in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.

The petitioner argued that there was no dispute that Information Technology (Science) qualifies as a technical vocational subject and marks obtained by him in this subject and not Chemistry should be reckoned for eligibility.

He cited a similar case of another student Siddharth Suri Babu who had filed a Petition before the Karnataka High Court which disposed of the petition by directing the Examinations Authority in Karnataka to treat Computer Science/Electronics subjects as Technical vocational subjects and allow Sidharth to participate in the admission process of the B.E course for 2012-13.

The petitioner informed the Bombay High Court that he too had filed a petition in Karnataka High Court and obtained a similar order from that court saying that IT may be regarded as optional subject for admission to engineering course.

Accordingly, the High Court upheld his plea and asked the authorities to consider his case for admission from the Institutional seats quota.

Bombay HC asks authorities to consider IT as an optional subject

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