HC seeks IIT-Bombay admission rules, lets girl continue to attend class

Following a recent Bombay high court direction, the IIT-Bombay allowed a student with learning disability to start attending a post-graduation course in design and conducted the second part of the entrance test for her under the physically disabled category.

But last week, the institute filed an affidavit in court saying the applicant did not make it past the cut-off marks for that category and hence it was a "heavy heart", that it could not grant her admission.

A bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha on September 4, inquired about the minimum marks required for the physically disabled (PD) category and asked for the admission rules. The IIT-B counsel sought time to produce this information. "To decide on the controversy... it will be necessary to consider the admission rules of the respondent institution (IIT)," said the bench.

The HC permitted the girl to continue attending class and take semester exams, if any. She is also entitled to her results, the HC said.

The case was filed by a Chembur girl, who had applied for admission to masters in design at IIT-B in 2013. She was a graduate in Design from Symbiosis Institute, Pune. The IIT-B had rejected her application on the grounds that she had not originally applied under the PD category and not scored the qualifying marks in the general category. She moved the HC in August, which granted interim relief after her lawyer pointed out that the Centre had classified dyslexia under the disabled category.

The student's counsel, Ratan Samal, said the IIT-B "stressed on the cut-off", but the minimum marks required under the PD category was 26 in the second part of the entrance test, and she had scored 35. The IIT had said the cut-off was 39.33 and hence, she was "ineligible". It also said she had not scored well in the interview. But her lawyer argued, "The rules say that when there are seats available, as in this case where four seats are vacant, the minimum marks, not the cut-off, must be considered." He furnished the score sheets of 11 of the 14 students taking the course-they all stated the minimum marks in the PD was 26. "Her professors were happy with her performance," Samal said.

The girls' mother intervened and said, "The IIT has made it an ego issue." She said her daughter has been harassed for the last "nine months" and only the intervention by the court had brought her hope. The matter will be heard later this month.

The HC said, "To decide the controversy between the parties, it will be necessary to consider the admission rules of the respondent institution (IIT)," and adjourned the matter to a later this month after the IIT-B lawyer sought time.