The High Court yesterday asked the Dhaka University authorities and the government to explain in two weeks why the new rule, barring candidates to appear in the university’s entrance tests twice, should not be declared illegal.
The court asked the authorities to show cause as to why they should not be directed to take a fresh decision over the entrance tests. The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo issued the ruling in response to a writ petition filed by guardians of 26 admission seekers on March 12.
In the petition, the guardians said all the public universities in the country usually allow admission seekers to take the first-year admission test twice.
But the DU authorities announced on October 15 last year that students would no longer be allowed to apply for a place at the DU more than once, violating Articles 15, 17 and 19 of the Constitution which ensure equal opportunity of education for all.
The petitioners sought the High Court’s order asking the DU authorities to cancel the newly introduced rule, making the DU vice-chancellor, convenor of the online admission committee, examination controller, secretary of examination committee, assistant registrar (academic-2), University Grants Commission chairman and education secretary as defendants.
Defending the controversial decision, the DU university authorities had said last year that they aimed to prevent cheating during admission tests.
