MUMBAI: In an interim order, the Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed 18-year-old Siddhant Batra, who had earned a 270 rank across India at JEE, to join and follow classes for a BTech electrical engineering course at IIT Bombay.
A fortnight ago, the Bombay High Court had rejected his request to reinstate his admission, which although it was granted in October, he had lost due to an “involuntary error”.
Siddhant Batra has a rank of 270 across India for JEE 2020. A fortnight ago, his hopes were dashed before the Bombay High Court, which had dismissed his petition to reinstate admission.
The 18-year-old had filed a special license petition (SLP) against a November 23 superior court order.
SC SK Kaul’s bench of judges, Dinesh Maheshwari and Hrishikesh Roy said: “There is also something known as common sense, why would a deserving student who had already entered want to cancel it?”
Judge Kaul said: “The three of us have argued. We are all in ad idem (meeting of minds).”
IIT attorney Sonal Jain said that Batra had frozen his seat, which only according to the rules indicated that he did not need to go to any more rounds. He cited the business rules for the admission process and said that Batra had then “consciously” chosen to withdraw in an 8-step process, and therefore the rules do not allow restoration now.
Jain said he would file an affidavit.
The bank gave the IIT three days to explain how Batra had completed the withdrawal process. Batra’s attorneys will file a rejoinder and SC will post the matter after winter break for an additional hearing, after approving the provisional order in favor of the student.
Batra, who lost his single mother two years ago, scored almost 96 percent on the CBSE Class XII exam and strove to achieve his goal of being admitted to the prestigious BTech Electrical Engineering course at IIT-Bombay. He had secured his seat in October.
But by inadvertent mistake, clicking on an option to ‘withdraw from later rounds’ lost his seat, he said.
The teenager had filed a petition with the Bombay High Court during the Diwali holidays. He had filed a plea in court against the letter of withdrawal of his admission from the IIT. On November 19, a holiday bank upon hearing from their lawyers Nikhil Sakhardande, Pralhad Paranjpe and Kunal Kanungo ordered the IIT to consider their request as a representation within two days.
The IIT did, but only to pass an order on November 21 to say it was their conscious choice to withdraw from the rounds, which according to the rules led to the cancellation of the seat.
The IIT said that according to the rules it could not reverse the loss, but offered it a second chance, directly through JEE Advanced in 2021.
On November 23, the HC dismissed his petition saying that since his previous order was acted upon “nothing survives for a decision” in the petition.
Through defender Pratiksha Sharma, he then reached out to the SC to make sure his dreams of studying at the prestigious IIT-Bombay came true.
On Wednesday, lead attorneys Basava Prabhu Patil, Sakhardande, Paranjpe and Kanugo appeared for a virtual hearing in the high court.
The steps invited reasons for withdrawal and an option whether the candidate would run for IIT JEE next year, to which Batra had said ‘no’. It also involved giving bank details and a ‘canceled check’ for a refund of admission fees after a 2,000 rupee deduction, the IIT said.
The South Carolina judges asked the IIT attorney what reason Batra had given him.
Prabhu Patil de Batra said that the student understood that since he had already obtained his seat in EE, he did not need to continue with any more rounds and that is why he had also chosen the option of not showing up for JEE next year. “It’s very unfortunate,” said Patil.
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