Court Upholds Student's Eligibility, Terms Marking Mistake as Inadvertent
In a significant judgment, the Rajasthan High Court has quashed the cancellation of a student's admission to the B.Tech. (Food Technology) program at Swami Keshwanand Rajasthan Agriculture University, Bikaner. The court ruled in favor of Rohit Godara, an OBC category student, whose admission was annulled due to an inadvertent marking error on the OMR sheet during the Joint Entrance Test (JET) 2025.
The petitioner, who had studied Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in his Senior Secondary Examination, mistakenly filled in 'Agriculture' instead of 'Physics' on the OMR sheet during the entrance test. Despite this error, the petitioner's scores in Chemistry and Biology were sufficient to surpass the cut-off mark of 59.78, making him eligible for admission based on merit.
The university had initially issued a provisional allotment letter to Godara, allotting him a seat at the College of Dairy and Food Technology, Udaipur. However, the admission was later revoked due to the mismatch in subjects marked on the OMR sheet and those studied at the 10+2 level.
Justice Dr. Nupur Bhati observed that the error was inadvertent and bona fide, with no evidence of deliberate misrepresentation or suppression of facts. The court emphasized that nullifying the admission for such a minor lapse would cause irreparable harm to the student, particularly in the competitive environment of entrance examinations.
The court directed the respondents to allot the seat to the petitioner as per his merit rank, treating the error as a mere inadvertence. This ruling underscores the importance of considering genuine mistakes in procedural aspects of examinations, ensuring fairness and justice for students.
Bottom Line:
Admission to B.Tech. (Food Technology) - Inadvertent error in filling OMR sheet during entrance examination - Cancellation of admission based on such error quashed - Court held that no deliberate misrepresentation or suppression of facts was discernible, and nullifying admission for a minor lapse would cause irreparable prejudice.
Statutory provision(s): Article 226 of the Constitution of India
Rohit Godara v. State of Rajasthan, (Rajasthan) : Law Finder Doc Id # 2840613
