In a significant ruling, the Bombay High Court has upheld the importance of adhering to admission deadlines, even in cases where applicants have achieved high rankings in competitive exams. The judgment came in the case of Siddhant Mahesh Rane v. Indian Institute of Science (Writ Petition (L) No. 20491 of 2024), where the court dismissed a petition seeking admission to a prestigious science program after the application deadline had passed.
Background of the Case
Siddhant Mahesh Rane, the petitioner, sought admission to the Bachelor of Science (Research) Programme 2024 at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Despite securing an impressive All India Rank of 10 in the IISER Aptitude Test (IAT) 2024, Rane’s application was deemed ineligible as it was submitted well past the deadline.
The IISc had set an initial application deadline of May 7, 2024, which was later extended to May 14, 2024. However, Rane submitted his application on June 9, 2024, nearly a month after the extended deadline.
Legal Issues and Court’s Decision
The primary legal issue before the court was whether an applicant’s high ranking in a competitive exam could override the institution’s prescribed admission deadlines.
The division bench of Justice A.S. Chandurkar and Justice Rajesh S. Patil ruled decisively against the petitioner’s plea. The court emphasized that while Rane’s All India Rank was commendable, it did not justify circumventing the established admission process.
The Bench observed:
“It is true that the petitioner has secured a good All India Rank but only on that basis he cannot be permitted to participate in the admission process as he had submitted his application beyond the deadline prescribed.”
The court also rejected the argument for granting relief on sympathetic grounds, stating:
“Merely on the basis of sympathy for the petitioner, directions sought by him in the writ petition cannot be granted. Granting such relief would cause injustice to other applicants similarly situated who could not submit their applications by 14/05/2024.”
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Representation and Case Details
The petitioner, Siddhant Mahesh Rane, was represented by Advocates S.R. Nargolkar, Arjun Kadam, and Neeta Patil. The respondent, Indian Institute of Science, was represented by Advocates Syed Kashif and Ashlesha Modak, instructed by Auris Lega.
