K S SHAKIRA AFSHAN D/O K S HAROON RASHEED AND ORS Vs. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KARNATAKA PRE UNIVERSITY BOARD AND ANR

JUDGEMENT

(1.) As the questions of facts and law involved are similar, all these petitions are clubbed, heard together and are being disposed of by this common order.

(2.) The petitioners, who have passed out the Intermediate Public Examination, (equivalent to PUC of Karnataka) conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, have appeared for the Common Entrance Test ('CET' for short) conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority ('KEA' for short) for admission to the undergraduate professional courses. Their grievance is that just because they have opted to appear for the supplementary examination, their applications for admission are rejected.

(3.) Sri Vivek S.Reddy, the learned counsel appearing for the petitioners in W.P.Nos.23652-23656/2012 and 23657- 23659/2012 and W.P.Nos.23981-23985/2012 submits that Rule 30-A(2) of the Karnataka Pre-University Course State Level Public Examination Rules, 1997 ('1997 Rules' for short) have no application for the examination being conducted by the Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh. He brought to my notice Rule 1(3) of the 1997 Rules, which states that the said Rule shall apply only to the Pre-University Course Examinations conducted by the Department of Pre-University Education. He submits that the Rules governing the admission to the professional educational institutions are the Karnataka Selection of Candidates for Admission to Government seats in Professional Educational Institutions Rules, 2006 ('2006 Rules' for short). Rule 3(1)(b) of the 2006 Rules prescribes the eligibility criteria as a pass in the second year Pre-University or XII standard or equivalent examinations held preceding the entrance test. He submits that it is not in dispute that the petitioners have passed out the Intermediate Public Examination conducted by the Andhra Pradesh Board in March 2012, that the said Course is equivalent to PUC and that the said examination is preceding the CET, 2012. He would submit that the special law prevails over the general law.