The petitioner Aryan Shende was denied admission to an engineering college despite securing a seat in the first round of the Centralized Admission Process (CAP) based on merit. The reason for denial was his inability to produce the original caste certificate, although he had the caste validity certificate. The court ruled that the denial of admission based on this technicality was unjust and unfair. The court ordered that Aryan's admission be confirmed, creating a supernumerary seat for him to ensure no other candidate is displaced.

1. Case Background (Para 2-5): The petitioner, Aryan Naresh Shende, participated in the admission process for engineering courses in Maharashtra and secured a seat at K.D.K. Engineering College, Nagpur. However, his admission was denied by the college on the ground that he did not submit the original caste certificate, despite possessing a caste validity certificate.

2. Petitioner’s Efforts and the College’s Denial (Para 6-9): The petitioner claimed he had lost his original caste certificate and had applied for a duplicate. He had reported this to the police and provided an undertaking to submit the original by CAP Round III. However, the college refused to grant him admission based on the absence of the caste certificate.

3. Correspondence Between the College and Admission Cell (Para 10): The college sought guidance from the Commissioner of the State Entrance Test Cell, who advised adherence to the Information Brochure's rules. These rules required the original caste certificate for admission, failing which the seat was forfeited.

4. Court's View on Denial of Admission (Para 16-17): The court found the refusal of admission based on the absence of an original caste certificate as hyper-technical. The petitioner had made genuine efforts to obtain the certificate, and his merit and caste validity certificate should have been sufficient for admission.

5. Supernumerary Seat Solution (Para 22-24): To remedy the situation without disturbing any other student's seat, the court directed the creation of a supernumerary seat for the petitioner. The court emphasized that merit should take precedence over technicalities.

Acts and Sections Discussed:

1. CAP Rules under the Information Brochure for Admissions to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Technical Courses for the Academic Year 2024-25.
2. Rule 17: Regarding the submission of documents, including caste and caste validity certificates, required for the admission process.

Ratio Decidendi:

The Court held that denying a student's admission based on the absence of an original caste certificate, when they have already submitted a caste validity certificate, is hyper-technical. The decision emphasizes that merit should take precedence over such technical requirements, and a solution must be found to avoid undue hardship to the student.

Subjects:

Education Law, Admission Process, Centralized Admission Process (CAP), Caste Certificate.

Admission Denial, Engineering College, Maharashtra CAP, Merit-based Admission, Supernumerary Seat, Legal Remedies in Education.