P LAKSHMIPATHI Vs. CO ORDINATOR COMMON ADMISSIONS COMMITTEE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) An issue of considerable importance relating to the procedure to be followed in making admissions to the Engineering Course in Osmania Andhra, Kakatiya and J. N. T. Universities is involved in these appeals. The specific question is: how to apply and operate the rule of reservation in favour of backward classes and others, in the matter of admission to B.E./B.Tech Courses in the Engineering Colleges? Until the current academic year, admissions were made by the individual Universities by themselves. It was found that such a practice was creating several complications, resulting in long delay in finalising the admissions, due to variation in the dates of admission, and duplication of admission in case of some students.. To avoid such delays, it was decided to have a common Entrance and a common Admission Committee for all the Universities in the State, except Sree Venkateswara University. The total number of seats available in the Osmania, Andhra, Kakatiya and J. N. T. Universities is 335, 220, 145 and 540 respectively, the total being 1240. Out of these, 18%, 4% and 25% are reserved in favour of schedule-castes,, scheduled-tribes, and backward-class candidates, respectively. Among the backward-class candidates, the B Group candidates are entitled to 10% and A Group candidates to 7% of the seats.

(2.) In implementation of the decision aforesaid a common Admission Committee was constituted to synchronise the process of admission in the four institutions. D. C. Lakshminarayana, Professor of Engineering College, Osmania University, Hyderabad, was made the Co-ordinator on behalf of all the Universities, to co-ordinate the work connected with admissions to all the Universities. Another teacher, Prof. G. Lakshminarayana of J. N. T. University, was made the Convener of the Common Entrance Examination Committee, on behalf of these Universities. According to the counter-affidavit filed by the Registrar of Osmania University, a common list of all the eligible candidates was prepared, purely on the basis of merit and, from this list, tentative lists of general category, scheduled castes, scheduled-tribes and backward-class candidates were prepared purely on the basis of merit. Intimations were sent by the Co-ordinator to more candidates than the number of seats available to each category, since it was expected that some candidates, may not pass the qualifying test, while some may not be able to produce genuine certificates and yet others may have joined other courses of education. The interviews were conducted from 16th July to 24th July, 1981, they were meant only for the purpose of scrutinizing the certificates of candidates, and to ascertain their choice of subjects, and not for evaluation of merit. The idea was that the entire process of admission must be over by 24th of July, in all the Universities.

(3.) In the B.E./B.Tech. course, there are several Branches viz., Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Electronics and Communication Equipment, which are common to all the four Universities. Besides the above, the Osmania University has got 25 seats in the Mining Engineering. The Technical/Chemical Engineering Course is available in Osmania, Kakatiya, and Andhra Universities respectively. It so happens that one or two subjects attract a large number of students. We understand the Electronics and Communication Equipment subject was the most coveted one during the current academic year.