Student dropped from Olympiad moves HC, alleges discrimination

Updated on: Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Bombay High Court has issued notices to Centre, Ministry of Earth Sciences and Geological Society of India for not allowing a two-time silver medallist to participate in an international event to be held in Italy on September 5 despite qualifying the written test.

The notices were issued on August 18 by a bench headed by Justice B H Marlapalle on a petition filed by 17-year-old Pritish Patil from Nashik who claimed that he was dropped from the team participating in the International Earth Sciences Olympiad event despite having qualified the written test.

The respondents have been asked to file replies by August 24.

Pritish said he stood second in the all India test.

According to rules, a team of four students was to be selected for the Olympiad and four others to be put on a waiting list.

Pritish said he received a communication on June 30 informing him that he was selected in the squad.

However, on July 3, he was informed by R Shankar, Secretary of Geological Society of India, that his name had been dropped because he had appeared in two Olympiads in a year which was not allowed under the rules framed by the national steering committee.

Pritish had won a silver medal in the International Biology Olympiad held in Taiwan on July 10 and another at the International Astronomy Olympiad in Ukraine in October last.

The Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is the Chairman of the Geological Society of India which gets
funds from the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, currently headed by Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The petitioner said he was informed by the steering committee that the rules - which bar students from appearing in Olympiad if he has participated in two such events in a single year - were applicable to Olympiads held only in India and not for those held abroad and organised under the supervision of Geological Society of India.

Counsel for the petitioner, Kamlesh Ghumare argued that not allowing Pritish was a discriminatory act as another student who had also won two silver medals in Olympiads was allowed to participate in the forthcoming event.

Student dropped from Olympiad moves HC, alleges discrimination

More Education news