HC directs Allahabad University to pay Rs 50,000 to student for not allowing admission

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad High Court has directed the Allahabad University administration to pay a compensation of Rs 50,000 to a student who was not allowed to join its master’s degree course even though he had cleared the entrance examination.

Justice Ashutosh Srivastava said the university changed the rules of eligibility after the selection process for the MA in women studies course for the academic session 2022-2023 had begun. The court asked the university to deposit Rs 50,000 as compensation to the student Ajay SIngh within a fortnight.

"The Allahabad University proceeded to change the rules of eligibility after the selection process had already commenced. The amended criteria could not be applied to the case of the petitioner,” the court observed. The petitioner had cleared the entrance examination for the course but the varsity administration rejected his candidature on grounds that he does not fulfil the criteria laid down by the university on June 25, 2022, which was notified on July 29, 2022.

The counsel for the petitioner submitted that the university is wrong to hold Singh ineligible for admission, saying “the rules of the game could not have been changed after the game had begun”. He submitted that the online registration for the entrance test was held between June 11 and July 1.

In its decision dated January 10 the court said, "The petitioner had applied for admission to the session 2022-23. The session has already commenced, rather it is on the verge of coming to an end.”

“No fruitful purpose would be achieved by directing the university to consider the candidature of the petitioner for admission to the course MA women studies now,” it said. The court observed that the petitioner “has suffered immensely” and was “dragged into unnecessary litigation and was compelled to approach this court on three occasions”.

"In the opinion of the court, the petitioner is liable to be compensated with costs quantified at Rs 50,000 which shall be payable to the petitioner by the university within a fortnight," the court added.