Best-5 final hearing may be adjourned in apex court today

The Best-Five issue has been listed for final hearing before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, but it may not be taken up.

The Best-Five issue has been listed for final hearing before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, but it may not be taken up.

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In July, the Supreme Court had ruled in an interim order that the Best-Five scheme that the Maharashtra government had initiated for SSC students also be conditionally extended to ICSE students for junior college admissions.

“Most likely the matter will be adjourned as the service is not complete which means that some notices have not been served to the parties involved,” said one of the lawyers arguing the case, on condition of anonymity.

The matter has been posted for final hearing before a division bench of justice VS Shirpurkar and justice Cyriac Joseph.

“The Best-Five policy is not good for students in the long run,” said CV Hegde, one of the parents who had filed the petition against in the high court, but is no longer involved in the case.

“I believe most of the parents from Mumbai, who were petitioners, are no longer involved.”
Meanwhile, the state government has also been working on another formula for junior college admissions.

“We need a permanent solution to the admissions issue,” said a state government official, on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to talk to the media.
“The Best-Five scheme is not a policy for admissions, but is an SSC board policy. As an admissions policy, we are considering an equalising formula to bring on a par students from different boards.”

ICSE school principals are hoping for the best.

“We are looking forward to something positive that will not discriminate against any students,” said Sudeshna Chatterjee, principal of Jamnabai Narsee School, Juhu.