The Delhi High Court ordered the Delhi University to promptly remove all information from its website that contradicts the admission eligibility criteria stated in its bulletin or rules, as it creates confusion among candidates and leads to unnecessary legal disputes.
In an order passed on January 24, Justice Vikas Mahajan said, "This court would like to observe that the University of Delhi needs to take immediate corrective measures in identifying and removing all such material from its website which mentions the eligibility criteria for admission to any course, contrary to the one stipulated in the bulletin of information or the statutory rules, regulations and ordinances of the university, for such contradictory and misleading criteria not only creates confusion in the minds of the candidates but also leads to unwarranted litigation," as stated in a report by PTI.
Meanwhile, Delhi High Court dismissed a petition filed by a BSc (H) graduate from Delhi University who claimed that she was ignored for admission to MSc Botany under the merit category as an OBC (non-creamy layer) candidate for the 2022-2023 academic year. The petitioner, who scored 88.96% in BSc (H) Biological Science, argued that despite her high marks, she was not selected for admission while those chosen had much lower scores, ranging from 88.71% to 86.40%.
The candidate explained that she was not eligible for merit or entrance-based admission to the MSc Botany course after inquiring with the admission branch. She found out that the prospectus required BSc (H) Botany as eligibility, which she did not have. The candidate claimed she was misled by the online application form, which stated that BSc (H) Biological Science was the eligibility for merit-based admission.
However, the high court rejected the plea, stating that the eligibility criteria mentioned in the 2022 bulletin of information govern admission to the MSc Botany course under the merit category.
"The petitioner cannot take advantage of, or refuge under, the inadvertent error that has crept into the admission form available on the website. Such a mistake on part of the respondent university would not clothe the petitioner with any legal right," it said.
Furthermore, the court stated that the petitioner failed to clarify which eligibility criteria - the one listed in the bulletin of information or the PG admission form - would apply, and did not seek clarification from the university. After participating in the selection process without success, the court noted that the petitioner cannot now challenge the admission criteria listed in the bulletin of information.
"In the present case, the rules of the game were not changed midway. In fact, like the previous three years, the same criterion was notified in the bulletin of information 2022. The said decision, therefore, does not advance the case of the petitioner. In view of the above, there is no merit in the writ petition and, accordingly, the same is dismissed," the High Court said, as stated in a report by PTI.
