INDERJIT SINGH Vs. GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner as well as Respondent Nos. 5 and 6 were candidates for admission to the 4 years Degree Course in Engineering. They appeared in a common entrance test conducted by the Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. The petitioner secured 18 marks out of 300 and was placed at Sr. No. 1804 in merit list. Respondent Nos. 5 and 6 secured 90 and 95 marks respectively. They were placed at Sr. Nos. 2360 and 2038. While Respondent Nos. 5 and 6 have been admitted to the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Engineering College, Jalandhar, the petitioner was called upon the join at the Regional Engineering College, Allahabad, Aggrieved by this action, the petitioner has filed this writ petition. The petitioner alleges that he being higher than the respondents in order of merit had a better right to be admitted at Jalandhar.

(2.) The petitioner avers that he is 'Lohar' by caste which has been recognised as a backward class in the State of Punjab. He submits that in the prospectus issued by the University, it had been specifically mentioned that 5% seats are "reserved for candidates belonging to recognised Backward Classes as declared by the Punjab Government/and whose father's/guardian's family income from all sources does not exceed......Rs. 10,000/- (Rupees ten thousand only) per annum." The petitioner states that in spite of the fact that he belonged to a backward class only on account of the condition imposed in the prospectus. However, Respondent Nos. 1 to 4 waived off this condition as a result of which Respondent No. 6 who was even though lower than the petitioner in order of merit was admitted against one of the reserved seats at Jalandhar. Consequently, the petitioner submits that the action of the respondents is violative of Article 14 and suffers from the vice of arbitrariness.

(3.) No written statement has been filed on behalf of Respondent Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 6.