HC Cancels Government Law College Admissions | Aspirants' Fate Hangs in Balance

Ayush Tandon and his parents, residents of Delhi, have been in Mumbai for the past week. Ayush was confident about getting a seat in the reputed Government Law College ( GLC) in Churchgate. However, with the Bombay high court directing the college to rework its admission process, they are in a quandary. Ayush's parents will now have to extend their stay indefinitely. Meanwhile, Ayush is anxious about securing a seat in the college as he cancelled his admissions elsewhere.

Ayush is not the only student who stands to lose his seat. Admissions given to 207 students in the college's five-year integrated law programme were cancelled on Thursday and the college was asked to make a fresh list combining all the streams. On Friday, more than 100 parents came to the college to check the status of their kids' admission. They met the principal in charge, Manju Molwane who assured them that the college would soon apply for an extra division to accommodate those affected. But no assurance was given on the time the new process would take.

Ayush's father Anil Tandon said, "We had come to the city after ensuring that a seat was available for our son. Now, our stay in the city is indefinitely extended. We are embroiled in a court case because of a goof-up in the admission process. We don't have any option but to appeal to the college to make seats available for our children."

Parents demanded that the students be given provisional admission and the extra division take in eligible students after the common merit list.

Richard Kayango (name changed) from Illinois, USA, who is the only foreigner among the students, is worried that his probationary visa would be forfeited if the admission is not confirmed soon. "Though I have a month, the foreign admissions' office asked me to fill the documents three weeks in advance. After I secured admission in the earlier process, I rented a flat in the city and paid the lease for 11 months. I am left with no choice now. Before seeking admission, I have flown to the city twice to first get the eligibility certificate from the Mumbai University. These trips have cost me a lot," he said. The student sought admission in the college as the college had a historical background with several famous alumni.

Senior professor Rachita Ratho said with the fresh merit list combining all the streams, the cut-off will be as high as 91%. "In that case, most of the arts' students who have secured admission will lose their seats," she said.

Molwane said the college would appeal to the government to speed up the approval of the additional division of 80 seats. "The process will not take time. We will ensure that all students are accommodated. We do not want to inconvenience anyone," said Molwane. Meanwhile, the students plan to write to the education department and the governor, seeking their intervention.