Kerala HC upholds ASC order on non-governmental MBA entrance tests

HC ruling

The Kerala High Court has upheld an order issued by Admission Supervisory Committee (ASC) stipulating no entrance exam other than conducted by government bodies will be accepted by universities in Kerala.

Hearing a petition filed by Divya Shaji and Swathy O of Pathanamthitta, a division bench of the court upheld the order issued by ASC on June 7, 2016 that said no entrance test conducted by non-governmental agencies shall be accepted for MBA admissions except KMAT (Kerala), CAT and CMAT.

KMAT (Kerala) is conducted under the supervision of ASC, CAT is conducted by Indian Institute of Management and CMAT is conducted by AICTE.

The ASC order had said that score of MAT conducted by All India Management Association shall not be accepted after May 2016.

After appearing in a test and interview conducted at the college, MBA students, Divya Shaji and Swathy O of Believers Church Carmel Engineering College at Ranny in Pathanamthitta, had secured admissions under NRI quota in July 2016. They had also appeared for the Management Aptitude Test (MAT) conducted by All India Management Association (AIMA) in September 2016.

When the college, as per the rule, ASC nod for admissions, it had declined to grant approval for the petitioners and eight other students. The petitioners' counsel argued that they belong to NRI category, who are not required to clear any eligibility test for getting admissions.

In the judgment, the court pointed out that the admissions were given to the petitioners before they appeared for MAT and that the admissions were against the ASC proceedings but the college had not challenged them. However, ASC's proceedings were upheld in another case, the court added.

The court also observed that if the petitioners’ argument is to be considered that no merit rating is required for them (under NRI quote), it will be totally alien to the scheme of professional education and the mandate given by the Supreme Court through different rulings, holding that there shall be no compromise with merit.