Events & Personalities
Allow online application
On June 14, 2013 the Bombay High Court (BHC) directed the state to accept the online application of Ava Kaka for admission to First Year Junior College. The 16-year-old dyslexic student of J. B. Petit School, Fort, who had scored over 80 percent in the ICSE examination, had been told that she could not apply online as she had appeared in only five subjects and not six, having availed of exemption from the second language paper. This instruction was conveyed orally to the School, according to her father Homi, to whom Parsiana spoke over the telephone.
When her father moved the BHC in the matter, the state argued that Kaka was not debarred from applying offline, after the online admissions were complete. However, that would be disadvantageous as all the seats would be filled by then, Kaka’s parents said to Parsiana. The case was argued by Mihir Desai, assisted by Usha Beri. Desai informed the BHC that Kaka had been officially exempted from one subject owing to her dyslexia. The state argued that of the 226 online applications filed by disabled students, including two dyslexic ones, all had appeared for six subjects and the state followed a best-of-five policy, reported Hindustan Times in its edition of June 15, 2013.
However, a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M. S. Sanklecha ruled that just because other students had not taken advantage of the provision for exemption, it did not mean that the petitioner could not. The BHC also clarified that other students who had availed of the exemption could apply for college admission online.
When her father moved the BHC in the matter, the state argued that Kaka was not debarred from applying offline, after the online admissions were complete. However, that would be disadvantageous as all the seats would be filled by then, Kaka’s parents said to Parsiana. The case was argued by Mihir Desai, assisted by Usha Beri. Desai informed the BHC that Kaka had been officially exempted from one subject owing to her dyslexia. The state argued that of the 226 online applications filed by disabled students, including two dyslexic ones, all had appeared for six subjects and the state followed a best-of-five policy, reported Hindustan Times in its edition of June 15, 2013.
However, a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M. S. Sanklecha ruled that just because other students had not taken advantage of the provision for exemption, it did not mean that the petitioner could not. The BHC also clarified that other students who had availed of the exemption could apply for college admission online.
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