'Admission process adopted by PU illegal'

Days after the University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS), Panjab University, announced that it would make admission in second semester of BCom LLB; one of the petitioner, on whose petition Panjab and Hayrana High Court had ordered the PU for the same, has alleged that admission process adopted by the PU was "illegal and tailor made."

The petitioner, Aditya Pratap Duggal, one of the students who had approached Punjab and Haryana High Court, after PU refused to make admissions in the said course in October 2013 despite Bar Council of India's recognition for the course has now written to Sangeeta Bhalla, head, UILS, and PU V-C AK Grover urging them to adopt 'uniform eligibility criterion' for admissions to second semester of UILS.

The PU has fixed counselling date of March 10 for sixty seats for admissions to second semester of BCom LLB. The PU had got the permission to start the course in October.

But due to opposition of faculty members, who were claiming shortage of staff and also first semester was to get over, the admissions could not be made. Following this, three petitioners had gone to the court against the PU.

PU recently, announced that it would admit students but in second semester on the merit of examination conducted in 2013.

Duggal in his letter has alleged that PU was denying the equal opportunity and legal right to the students who were pursuing other courses in different institutions but were in merit lit of the entrance test.

He has stated that the condition of PU making only those students eligible who were pursuing same course in other institutes was denial of 'equal opportunities' to those who were also in the merit list of the entrance test.

"Those pursuing BCom should also be allowed, when the university was allowing students from non PU affiliated colleges with difference of only two subjects as the eligible candidates for admissions."
Head UILS, Sangeeta Bhalla could not be reached for her comments.