50% marks criterion for engineering admission challenged

NAGPUR: Two students moved the Nagpur bench of Bombay high Court praying for relaxing new criterion of having 50% marks in Class XII exams for admission to undergraduate engineering courses. Justices Bhushan Gavai and Sunil Shukre on Thursday adjourned the hearing for a week after government pleader Bharti Dangre informed that a similar plea was filed in the principal bench at Mumbai where it was pending.
Kunal Butle from Dhamangaon Railway and Vaibhavi Shende from Kalamb in Yavatmal challenged the government resolution (GR) of October 31, 2012, that scrapped the state level entrance examination (MHT-CET) conducted by the state Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) for admissions into engineering (BE) courses.
The GR also mentioned enhancing the qualifying marks from 45% (40% for reserved category) to 50% (45% for reserved category) in Class XII exam for admissions into these courses. They pointed out that in 2012-13 session, as many as 49,200 seats were vacant while in 2013-14, over 52,000 seats were not filled up. They contended that no adequate publicity was given to new eligibility norms and even the apex body had kept them at 45%.
During last hearing, the court had issued notices to state higher and technical education secretary, technical education director, AICTE chairman, and secretary and executive director of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).