SIES College to pay MU ₹50,000 for admitting ineligible commerce student to BSc

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce to pay ₹50,000 to the University of Mumbai (MU) for admitting a Commerce student to its Bachelor of Science (BSc) Computer Science course despite her not meeting the university’s eligibility criteria

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce to pay ₹50,000 to the University of Mumbai (MU) for admitting a Commerce student to its Bachelor of Science (BSc) Computer Science course despite her not meeting the university’s eligibility criteria. The court held that the college could not disregard the prescribed admission rules under the pretext of academic autonomy, particularly when it knew that the student did not qualify for the course.

The court, however, protected the student’s academic future, directing the university and the college to issue her marksheets and degree certificate after she completed the three-year course.

The student had approached the High Court challenging two letters, issued by MU on March 1, 2025, and by the college on May 29, 2025, declaring her ineligible to complete the course. She had secured admission to the BSc Computer Science programme in the 2023-24 academic year after being assured by the college’s counsellor and administrators that she was eligible as she had studied Mathematics in Class 12, despite having a Commerce background.

However, after allowing her to complete the first two years of the course, the college informed her that her admission was invalid when she sought admission to the final year.

Under MU’s Ordinance 5719, candidates seeking admission to BSc Computer Science must have passed Class 12 in the Science stream with Mathematics and Statistics, or hold an equivalent qualification. Having Mathematics as a subject in the Commerce stream was therefore not sufficient to meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.

A university circular issued on September 16, 2023, also required colleges to verify students’ eligibility and take corrective action where admissions had been granted to ineligible candidates.

A division bench of Justices R I Chagla and Firdosh Pooniwalla observed that the student was meritorious and had not misrepresented her educational qualifications to secure admission. The court had granted her interim relief in March, allowing her to complete the course. Denying her the degree at this stage would cause her grave prejudice, the judges said.

Referring to two similar cases decided earlier, the bench reiterated that a student’s career should not be allowed to suffer because of a college’s failure to follow admission rules, particularly when the student was not responsible for the lapse.

MU’s counsel Rui Rodrigues argued that the college had violated the university’s admission procedure by enrolling a Commerce student in the BSc programme and should be suitably penalised. The college’s counsel, however, maintained that its decision was bona fide and taken in the exercise of its academic autonomy.

Rejecting the college’s defence, the judges said its academic autonomy did not give it the authority to disregard the university’s prescribed eligibility conditions. The college was fully aware that the student did not meet the criteria but had proceeded with her admission regardless.

“The college is required to be penalised for its conduct in granting admission to the petitioner, knowing fully well that the petitioner had not met the eligibility criteria for the said course,” the bench observed.

The court consequently directed the college to pay ₹50,000 to MU within two weeks of the order being uploaded and directed both the university and the college to issue the student’s marksheets and degree certificate.