Two students who were allotted seats in the first round of Counselling for JEE Advanced but could not deposit the fees appealed to the Bombay High Court for obtaining admission. Taking note of their pleas, on Tuesday, October 18, the High Court asked IIT Bombay and IIT Gandhinagar to consider admitting them if seats remain vacant.

The students (petitioners) submitted that they had been allotted seats in the first round but despite repeated attempts, they were unable to pay the fees because of a technical glitch. One of the students had obtained a seat at IIT Gandhinagar and the other at IIT Bombay. The two institutes are the respondents in the case, as per a report by LiveLaw.

A Bench of Justices SV Gangapurwala and RN Laddha heard the case and considered that the petitioners are bright students who were allotted seats in the first round based on their merit. The Bench asked the respective institutes to consider allotting seats to the two students if seats remain vacant after the 6th and last round of counselling.

Advocate Arjun Mitra, who appeared for the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA), stated that the students had gotten three days' time to pay the fees. And they had not contacted JoSAA when they faced a technical glitch. He added that seats available in the fifth round would be allotted as per Business Rules to the next deserving candidates.

The court observed that the students had failed to exercise diligence in paying the fees. However, since they are meritorious students, the Bench pronounced its order to the IITs.