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Varun Saini v. Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Writ Petition (Civil) · Neutral citation not assigned (Writ Petition (Civil) No. 853 of 2014)Decided 16 Oct 2014
Writ Petition (Civil) No. 853 of 2014
Justice Dipak Misra · Justice Uday Umesh Lalit

Background

Qualified applicants and educational institutions sought another counselling round to fill thousands of vacant university seats for 2014-15. Approval delays and uncertainty about regulatory authority had disrupted the admission timetable. An earlier university notification had been withdrawn after court proceedings.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court disposed of the petitions by permitting supplementary online counselling through 21 October 2014, as specified in its final directions. Only eligible entrance-test-qualified candidates without an existing admission could participate, and already admitted students could not move seats through this round. New entrants were to join immediately, attend extra classes in separate sections and meet the required 75% attendance measured against the full teaching programme. The Court treated the extension as exceptional to that academic year and required the normal timetable to be followed in subsequent years. It did not decide the separate NCTE-regulated course controversy.

Lesson Learnt

An exceptional extension to fill vacant seats does not create a general right to late admission. Eligibility, restrictions on shifting seats and attendance obligations continue to apply even when counselling dates are extended.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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