The Hindu : National : BITS excluded from AIEEE counselling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jul 07, 2004

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National

BITS excluded from AIEEE counselling

By J. Venkatesan

NEW DELHI, JULY 6. The Supreme Court today directed that the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani and Goa) be excluded for the time being from counselling for admission to various engineering colleges in the country through the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). The counselling begins tomorrow.

A Bench of Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari passed this order on petitions filed by over 100 students from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu challenging a judgment of the Rajasthan High Court by which it was made compulsory for BITS to take part in AIEEE conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education for the purpose of selection of students adopted by BITS.

The Bench in its brief interim order said, "The counselling for admission through AIEEE in various engineering colleges is to commence tomorrow. Without prejudice and subject further order that may be passed the seats in the engineering disciplines in BITS would be excluded during the counselling for the time being. And if ultimately the petitions fail, counselling can be ordered to give another opportunity to the students for opting for the disciplines in the institution".

The Bench ordered notice to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the Centre, the AIEEE Coordinator, the University Grants Commission and the BITS returnable by July 12 and posted the case for further hearing on that day.

According to the petitioners, they had scored very high percentage of marks in the higher secondary examination and had sought admission to various courses in BITS.

They were aggrieved over a Division Bench judgment of the Rajasthan High Court dated June 10 by which BITS was ordered to participate in AIEEE for making admissions to various disciplines.

They said admission to BITS was being made only on the basis of merit on the basis of marks obtained by students in the 10+2 examination for the last 30 years. The merit for admission was determined on the basis of normalisation procedure by taking the aggregate marks obtained by students in the respective Board examinations.

Since they had scored more than 95 per cent marks in the 10+2 examination, they would have in the normal course got admission to various courses in BITS.

Now because of the impugned judgment, making the common entrance test compulsory to BITS, pronounced after the notification for admission was issued and after applications were submitted, they would not be able to get admission in BITS.

They prayed for quashing the impugned judgment and an interim stay of its operation and to exclude BITS from the AIEEE counselling.

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