Authority: High Court of Orissa at Cuttack
Order Date: 25 August 2026
Case Overview
- Parties: Petitioner Aakash Behera vs Union of India (representing the Joint Admission Committee, IISER) and another party.
- Relief Sought: (I) Acceptance and verification of the petitioner’s Class‑XII marksheet uploaded after the prescribed period due to hospitalization; (II) Permission to participate in the counselling process for admission into the BS‑MS Dual Degree Programme and other eligible undergraduate programmes offered through the IAT 2026, in accordance with his merit position and reservation category; (III) In the alternative, direction to conduct a special verification of the petitioner’s candidature and, if found eligible, to consider him for allocation of a Scheduled Caste seat or creation of a supernumerary seat so that he is not deprived of an academic year.
- Counsel: Mr. Satya Sundar Kanungo (advocate for the petitioner), Mr. Kausik Dey (advocate for Joint Admission Committee), Mr. Asutosh Mohanty (Central Government Counsel for the Secretary, Ministry of Education – Opposite Party No.1).
- Background: The petitioner uploaded the Class‑XII marksheet on 1 July 2026, which was after the cut‑off date, as declared by Tata Consultancy Services, the entity responsible for maintaining the admission system. The petitioner was hospitalized during the relevant period and therefore could not meet the deadline. He expressed willingness to make a representation after the admission process concludes, seeking seat allocation if seats are available.
Final Outcome
- The Court, without delving into the merits of the petition, directed that if the petitioner makes a representation with the relevant documents to the Chairperson of the Joint Admission Committee, 2026, the representation shall be considered in accordance with law within a period of seven days therefrom, and the result shall be communicated to the petitioner forthwith.
Topics: Admission Process, Higher Education, Legal Relief