The inactivity and silence about the admissions at the University of Mumbai has finally come to an end.
The Special Leave Petition that was slated for hearing on July 13, 2018. The SC dismissed the petition filed by the government challenging the October 2017 order that disallowed reservations for SC/ST/OBC category students in minority institutions.
Why Did The Government File An SLP?
The Bombay High Court issued a ruling in October 2017 saying that the minority institutions which have 50% reservation for students of a minority community will not reserve seats for SC/ST and OBC category students. The Bombay HC had passed this ruling in reference to the 2005 constitutional amendment which exempts minority institutions from reservation under Article 30 of the Constitution. In furtherance of this order, colleges issued merit list with no reservation for SC/ST/OBC category students which resulted in students protesting and demanding reservations. Giving in to the protests, the government filed a Special Leave Petition in the Apex Court challenging the said October 2017 order.
What Did The Supreme Court Say In The SLP Hearing?
The SLP was listed for hearing on July 13, 2018. The Apex Court dismissed the petition filed by the government and the University of Mumbai, denying the request for reservations for SC/ST/OBC category students. The Court reiterated that the original 2001 circular which stated otherwise stands set aside with effect from October 2017.
According to the Mumbai University circular dated July 13, 2018, “there will be no reservation for the reserved category in admissions to minority educational institutions from the academic session of 2018-2019.”
With this order, there is a fresh wave of relief among the thousands of students whose admissions were put on hold because of the looming uncertainty over the quotas and criterion for admission.
Students took to social media platforms to share their relief and thank the University of Mumbai for restarting the admission procedure.
Ashutosh J Thakar took to Twitter to thank the University,Vinod Tawde and Chief Minister of Maharashtra. “Thank you @CMOMaharashtra and @Uni_Mumbai for restarting the procedure of admissions again. This will benefit the students as they are now clear about their admission queries. @TawdeVinod @Dev_Fadnavis”, he tweeted.
After the disposal of the special leave petition, the admissions in the University of Mumbai will resume.
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