NATASHA MICHAEL DSILVA Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) In this batch of writ petitions the petitioners have raised a challenge to the action taken by the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences- "MUHS" and the University of Mumbai holding them ineligible to pursue undergraduate education on the ground that as they had passed their Senior Secondary School Examination from the Board of School Education, Hubli, Karnataka- the BSE, Hubli which was not registered with the Council of Boards of School Education in India - "COBSE", they were ineligible for being admitted in the undergraduate courses.

(2.) (a) The petitioners in Writ Petition No.6319 of 2016 appeared for the Senior Secondary Examination conducted by the BSE, Hubli in July 2015. Having passed the said examination, they took admission at the M.A. Rangoonwala College of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Pune at the First Year Bachelor of Dental Studies - "BDS" course . After their admission, when they were to appear in the examination at the end of the first year of academic session 2015-16, their College was informed by the MUHS on 12/5/2016 that as the petitioners had passed their Senior Secondary Examination from the BSE, Hubli which was not registered with the COBSE, they were ineligible for being admitted to the Undergraduate Course. For that reason, the petitioners were not permitted to appear in the examinations. Being aggrieved by the aforesaid communication dtd. 12/5/2016, the petitioners have filed this writ petition.

(3.) Heard Mr. N.N. Gawankar, learned counsel for the petitioner in Writ Petition No.4336 of 2016, Mr. Sachin Punde, learned counsel for the petitioner in Writ Petition No.4338 of 2016, Writ Petition No.182 of 2017, Writ Petition No.1508 of 2016, Writ Petition No.1513 of 2016 and Writ Petition No.42 of 2019, Mr. Kishor Patil, learned counsel for the petitioners in Writ Petition No.6319 of 2016, Ms. Neha Bhide, learned Government Pleader and Mr. Milind More, learned Additional Government Pleader for the State of Maharashtra, Mr. Rajshekhar Govilkar, learned Senior Advocate for the MUHS, Mr. Rui Rodrigues, learned counsel for the University of Mumbai, Mr. Suhas Inamdar, learned counsel for the COBSE, Mr. Sandeep Waghmare, learned counsel for the affiliated Colleges, Mr. Y. S. Bhate and Mr. N. R. Prajapati, learned counsel for the Union of India.