Don’t finalise sports category merit list for LLM, LLB, says High Court

Saurabh Malik

Advertisement

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 17

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed that the sports category final merit list for the LLM and LLB courses offered by Panjab University would not be finalised. The order would remain in force at least till September 23 — the next date of hearing in the matter.

The direction by the Bench of Justice Tejinder Singh Dhindsa and Justice Vivek Puri came on a petition filed against the varsity and other respondents by Pardeep Kumar and other students through counsel LK Gollen.

The Bench, during the course of hearing, was told that one of the petitioners was desirous to secure admission to the LLM course, while others were seeking admission to the LLB course. They were, among other things, seeking directions to the respondent-university to consider their candidature for LLM/LLB course under the 5 per cent sports quota.

Gollen submitted the petitioners’ claim was not being considered under the sports quota by citing a clause in the guidelines for admission for the reserved category of sports, 2021, published in the handbook of information.

Gollen drew the Bench’s attention to a rule, which laid down that “in case there is one association/federation or more than one association/federation in any game, the sports certificates issued by those State associations will be considered which are recognised by National Federation of the concerned game for state-level tournaments”.

He added the petitioners had excelled in karate and possessed certificates issued by the Amateur Karate Association of Chandigarh. As on date, no National Federation of Karate was functional. The Indian Olympic Association had, accordingly, intervened and set up an ad hoc committee to look after the affairs in such sports. For the past three or four years, such ad hoc committee had not accorded recognition regarding certificates issued by various karate associations across the country.

It was added the varsity in the previous academic sessions had given the benefit of sport reservation to candidates relying upon certificates issued by the Amateur Karate Association of Chandigarh.

“It was argued that it would be a clear case of discrimination in as much as consideration to the petitioners as regards admissions to the LLM/LLB course under the 5 per cent sports quota is being denied in spite of their possessing certificates which had been considered valid in the previous academic sessions,” the Bench observed.