169 Viqarunnisa students’ admission to remain cancelled

The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday rejected the leave-to-appeal petition against the High Court (HC) order that cancelled the admission of 169 class one students of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College (VNSC) in academic year 2024 for breaching the age limit policy.

A three-member Appellate Division bench led by Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan passed the order on Sunday.

The SC order means the admission of 169 class one students of the VNSC will remain cancelled, said the lawyers. 

Lawyer Mohammad Rafiul Islam stood for the VNSC principal while Barrister Mustafizur Rahman Khan and Shah Monzurul Haque represented the writ petitioner in the court.   

Earlier on June 27, the HC published its full text of judgement cancelling the admission of 169 class one students of the VNSC. Later, the guardians of the students filed a leave-to-appeal against the HC verdict. 

On 14 January this year, the mothers of two students, who were admitted to Class one at VNSC, filed a writ petition with the HC alleging that the age rule was not followed in the admission. After a preliminary hearing, the court issued a rule with an order on 23 January.

On 28 February, the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) submitted a report before the HC following the order.

According to the DSHE, VNSC did not follow the age limit for admission to Class one in the 2024 academic year. The process of admitting students born before 1 January 2017 is illegal.

The DSHE found that the 169 students were admitted breaching the admission policy as they were born in 2015 and 2016.

In the DSHE report, they requested the school authority to cancel admission of the 169 students and inform them immediately. The school authorities then cancelled the admission of those students.

On 6 March, the HC directed the school to fill the vacant seats from the waiting list within a week after cancelling the admission of 169 students.

Against the order, the guardians of the students whose admission was cancelled applied to the Appellate Division.

On 20 March, the Appellate Division directed the HC to dispose of the rule issued within 2 months. At the same time, the SC issued a stay order on the admission of 169 students.

The HC on May 21 handed down the verdict after disposing of the rule.

FH/MIT