TARVESHINDER SINGH Vs. PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner is a graduate desirous of getting admitted to the three year L.L.B course being conducted by the Panjab University, Chandigarh.

(2.) Sometime in the month of May 2019, Panjab University, Chandigarh (respondent No.l) issued admission notice for academic session 2019-2020, in which the L.L.B three year course was also included. Being eligible for the said course, the petitioner filled up his admission form in the category of Rural Area Student. His certificate dated 27.6.2013 in this regard is Annexure P-6 on the record. An admit card was issued to the petitioner and he took the entrance test conducted on 22.6.2019 and cleared the same. However, during counseling, the petitioner was not considered in the Rural Area Students category and was not granted admission. His representation dated 30.7.2019 is (Annexure P-10) on the record, but the same has not been replied to. Thus, the present writ petition has been instituted.

(3.) Learned counsel for the petitioner contends that according to the Handbook of Information 2019, additional seats have been advertised for various categories of persons including two seats for Rural Area Students. Other categories included in such additional seats are Wards of Kashmiri Displaced Persons, one Girl Child out of two Girl Children, Wards of Martyrs/permanently disabled in Kargil War etc. These seats are supernumerary in nature and are beyond the authorized 300 seats. However, a rider has been placed in the same handbook, according to which, the said additional seats shall be available subject to clearance from regulatory agency such as Bar Council of India etc. In the case of a single girl child, a Division Bench of this Court in CWP No. 19305 of 2018 titled as Eshita Bedi Vs. Panjab University and others, decided on 10.8.2018, has read down the clause of the handbook prescribing clearance by a regulatory authority and thus, non-consideration of the petitioner in the category of Rural Area Students, is illegal and arbitrary.