DEV GUPTA Vs. PEC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Special leave granted. This appeal challenges an order of the Punjab & Haryana High Court(dtd. 14/7/2023 in CWP No. 14594 of 2023) The High Court rejected the appellant's Writ Petition which had questioned the imposition of a minimum 75% aggregate marks as an eligibility condition (in the qualifying examination) for enabling a candidate to claim admission in engineering courses under the 2% sports quota. The appellant had contended that the sudden imposition of such an eligibility condition defeated the purpose of the quota itself and was consequently arbitrary. The High Court, however, rejected the petition requiring the authorities to consider an issue.

(2.) The Secretary Technical Education, Chandigarh Administration (hereafter "UTC") by letter dtd. 7/1/2016 accorded approval to the respondent university (hereafter "the University") to admit students through the Central Counselling System at the National level from 2016-2017 (hereafter referred to as "JOSSA"). The UT had consistently followed the process, and admission to institutions within Chandigarh were regulated by its rules. The rules for the current academic year 2023-24 for JOSSA were issued through a brochure on 7/6/2023. Those rules apply to UT institutions, including the respondentwhose name finds mention at Serial No. 25.

(3.) The eligibility criterion provided for admission to engineering courses and the same reads as under: