National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Cuttack, July 3: The Centre’s new guidelines restricting the options for students qualifying for National Institute of Technology (NIT) is likely to frustrate a large number of aspirants wishing to make it to these premier engineering institutes in their home states.

The new rule has been challenged in Orissa High Court. The guidelines laid down by the Central Counselling Board (CCB)-2012, oblige students opting for the NITs to take admission in the home state quota only in a departure from the past when 50 per cent of the seats in the premier engineering institutes were reserved for the home state students and the remaining were filled up on the basis of all-India rankings.

This has brought the home quota under stress, narrowing down the options of students. This would effectively mean that almost all those qualifying from a particular state would be competing for NITs in the home quota.

The new rules enjoin that even if a student from Odisha is high up in the merit list of the All-India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) and takes admission in, say, NIT-Rourkela, he would be considered under the state quota and not under the all-India quota. Hence, the new norm would scuttle the chances of a large number of students aspiring for admissions to NIT-Rourkela, petitioners contended.

The CCB constituted by the Centre coordinates admissions to undergraduate degree programmes in engineering, technology and architecture in respect of select institutions including 30 NITs, one of which is located in Rourkela. This year’s CCB has been constituted with the director of NIT, Rourkela, as chairman, while limiting the jurisdiction for legal disputes to Orissa High Court or Supreme Court of India.

Pritam Bag and two others had filed a petition seeking quashing of the new guideline through a notification last month. While the first round of AIEEE counselling was held from June 16-25, the second round is scheduled to be held from July 6 to 10.

After a preliminary hearing, the single judge bench of Justice Sanju Panda issued notices to the human resources development secretary, AIEEE joint secretary and the director NIT-Rourkela-cum-chairman of CCB-2012.

The new seat allotment policy for the home state quota said: “The other state quota seats in an institute shall be available only to candidates from other states, home state candidates being forbidden from these seats.”

The petition expressed apprehension that the new norm will not only reduce the prospects of students getting admission in the NIT in their home state but also give less meritorious students from other states the opportunity to enrol in place of a deserving local candidate.

Orissa High Court has directed that the result of the process of counselling would be subject to the final outcome of the case. CCB-2012 would conduct four rounds of counselling with the third and fourth rounds to be held from July 17 to July 22 and on July 25 respectively. The spot round has been scheduled for August 3-6.