High Court upholds Dhaka University's one chance for admission policy

The High Court has come out in favour of Dhaka University’s decision to not allow students to sit for admission tests more than once.

Justices Farah Mahbub and Md Ejarul Haque Akondo rejected a previous rule on the matter in their order on Wednesday.

Those who want to enter the country’s premier university will get one chance at admission, its lawyer AFM Mesbah told bdnews24.com.

Only those who will pass this year’s Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams will be eligible for the university’s admission test for 2015-16 academic year.

“Seats are left vacant when candidates are allowed second chances … we’ve been noticing this since 2009. It’s a national loss,” said lawyer Mesbah Uddin.

“The High Court has rejected the rule. Therefore, the decision to disallow second chances remains.”

Meanwhile, the petitioners’ lawyer Subrata Chowdhury said he would talk to his clients to decide whether an appeal should be filed.

Several of the petitioners, present in court, broke down in tears when the judges upheld the university’s decision.  

Those who pass HSC used to get two chances to get admitted to the premier Dhaka University.

Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, after a meeting with the admission committee last year, had said, allowing second chances to old students could ‘deprive’ first time entry seekers.

The move would also help eliminate ‘fraudulent practices’ around admission, he said.

Admission seekers in despair over the university’s decision held back-to-back demonstrations on campus for days.

The writ was filed with the High Court by 26 guardians of students who want to take the test again.

On Mar 16, a rule was issued after primary hearing. It had asked why the cancellation of allowing second chances to admit candidates, should not be declared illegal. The rule had also asked as to why the previous system should not be reinstalled.