Best-five case: State to move Supreme Court today

The Maharashtra government on Monday will move an appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision on its Best-Five policy for SSC students.

The Maharashtra government on Monday will move an appeal to the Supreme Court challenging the Bombay High Court’s decision on its Best-Five policy for SSC students.

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The state has asked well-known jurist Soli Sorabjee to represent it. State education department officials said Sorabjee took the government’s brief late on Sunday evening.

“We are going to seek a stay on the high court order so junior college admissions can proceed as decided under the Best-Five policy,” an education department official said.

The apex court had been on leave till July 4. The state hopes its appeal will be admitted on Monday and that hearing will be granted for July 6.

The hitch is that the state still does not have a signed copy of the order that struck down its policy, which allowed SSC students’ aggregate percentage to be calculated on the basis of the five best scores out of the six subjects. The state is working with an unsigned copy.

Education minister Balasaheb Thorat said that despite this, the state will try its best to get the petition admitted given the urgency of the situation.