As admissions to law courses in the State enter their final phase, the government has relaxed certain norms to ease the admission process. The government has allowed colleges to accept students’ birth certificates instead of domicile certificates, the norm till now.
It has also allowed vacant seats reserved for girls to be opened for general category students. Another key relaxation in norms is that passports and voter cards can replace nationality certificates.
Monday is a crucial day for law students, as it is the last date for cancelling admissions. Admissions to law colleges will close on November 10, and the government has asked students to check for vacant seats online on November 7 for their admission status.
Anna Oommen, a student, said, “Waiting for law college admission has been such a nightmare this year, with so much delay and so many new documents. It’s heartbreaking to see students crying for not being to submit their admissions forms due to niggling issues. A girl missed the time slot for accepting forms and broke down in college. Finally, the principal accepted her form on compassionate grounds. In another college, a girl who studied in Mumbai but was born in Ahmedabad had problems, as her birthplace was outside Maharashtra even though she was a domicile of the State.”
She added, “Now, we realise that we need a nationality certificate, which is not your passport but an entirely new document that has to be obtained from the tehsildar’s office. Some colleges even demanded money from students. Some friends decided to not pursue law courses due to these delays.”
Narayan Rajyadaksha, principal, New Law College, blamed the situation on students flocking to the same set of colleges while ignoring the many options available beyond the Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad and Kolhapur.
Chandrashekhar Oak, Commissioner, Common Entrance Test Cell, said, “We have given students enough time to change their options, but now it is too late for that. The decision to reserve 15 per cent of seats for Out of Maharashtra Students (OMS) is a State government policy and I cannot comment on it. Since they have less students applying there, students with less scores get in; it’s a question of demand and supply.”
The writer is a freelance journalist
