12-01-2006, 03:13 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Girls fraudulently converted for Solapur college admission
By Umesh Mohite | Monday, November 27, 2006 11:36:17 IST
Bogus trustees forced girls to Christianity, misused management quota, knocked off money for admission in D. Ed. college
A writ petition before the High Court division bench of Chief Justice H. S. Bedi and Justice V. M. Kanade has revealed that anything is possible when it comes to admissions in schools and colleges. It could go to such level of desperation that students could fall prey to the ploy of bogus trustees, get converted to Christianity so as to make them eligible to avail management quotas, pay money and get admitted. The false trustees who did not allow the genuine principal and teachers to have access to their offices, even exceeded the allotted management seats from 21 to 36. Two criminal complaints have been lodged in the matter but it seems that the courtâs intervention is inevitable.
The admission for the first year D.Ed. course in Mary B. Harding College, Solapur, for 2005-06 saw 36 out of a total of 60 students getting admission in the management quota when there were only 21 reservations for girls from the Christian community. On top of that, only eight of the 36 girls were Christians and the others got converted during the admission process. Obviously, the School Education and Sports Department of the state government has not allowed the girls to take the exam in the academic year 2006, forcing them to come to the High Court. The 36 girls seeking relief have blamed the college principal, Mrs. B. B. Kulkarni, whom they alleged had mismanaged the management quota and delayed the process of submitting their documents to
the authorities.
However, the principal in her turn submitted that the college is run by a trust called âMarathi Missionâ for the last six years. And there are people who object to the trustees. Nine such persons forcibly acquired charge of the college office on November 17, 2005 removing the principal and others from their cabins. All the documents, cupboards and files were taken charge of and one of the nine persons, Mrs. Vanita Mackenzie, became the principal in place of Mrs. Kulkarni.
A complaint was lodged against the nine persons including three women at the Sadar Bazar police station under Section 451, 341, 323, 504, 506 of the IPC but the police have hardly made any investigation in the case. When a writ was filed in the high court, the court restored Mrs. Kulkarni as the principal. However, the nine persons had fraudulently given admission to several students in the management quota. In fact, they forced students to adopt Christianity so that they could be accommodated in reserved seats. Lakhs of rupees were collected by these trustees and the same had been deposited in Bank of India.
The principal lodged a separate court case in the district court against the nine seeking action against them for fraud, keeping official documents in their possession and alleged forceful conversion. Advocate Sutar appearing for the principal claims that the copies of the gazette show that the students had got converted after the admission process started. The rule says that one needs to have been converted for at least five years to avail of reserved quota on the basis of religion, cast or creed. Also, because of the fraud, the college has already received notice from the National Council of Teachers Education for changing the intake rules. The court has adjourned the case to December 4.
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By Umesh Mohite | Monday, November 27, 2006 11:36:17 IST
Bogus trustees forced girls to Christianity, misused management quota, knocked off money for admission in D. Ed. college
A writ petition before the High Court division bench of Chief Justice H. S. Bedi and Justice V. M. Kanade has revealed that anything is possible when it comes to admissions in schools and colleges. It could go to such level of desperation that students could fall prey to the ploy of bogus trustees, get converted to Christianity so as to make them eligible to avail management quotas, pay money and get admitted. The false trustees who did not allow the genuine principal and teachers to have access to their offices, even exceeded the allotted management seats from 21 to 36. Two criminal complaints have been lodged in the matter but it seems that the courtâs intervention is inevitable.
The admission for the first year D.Ed. course in Mary B. Harding College, Solapur, for 2005-06 saw 36 out of a total of 60 students getting admission in the management quota when there were only 21 reservations for girls from the Christian community. On top of that, only eight of the 36 girls were Christians and the others got converted during the admission process. Obviously, the School Education and Sports Department of the state government has not allowed the girls to take the exam in the academic year 2006, forcing them to come to the High Court. The 36 girls seeking relief have blamed the college principal, Mrs. B. B. Kulkarni, whom they alleged had mismanaged the management quota and delayed the process of submitting their documents to
the authorities.
However, the principal in her turn submitted that the college is run by a trust called âMarathi Missionâ for the last six years. And there are people who object to the trustees. Nine such persons forcibly acquired charge of the college office on November 17, 2005 removing the principal and others from their cabins. All the documents, cupboards and files were taken charge of and one of the nine persons, Mrs. Vanita Mackenzie, became the principal in place of Mrs. Kulkarni.
A complaint was lodged against the nine persons including three women at the Sadar Bazar police station under Section 451, 341, 323, 504, 506 of the IPC but the police have hardly made any investigation in the case. When a writ was filed in the high court, the court restored Mrs. Kulkarni as the principal. However, the nine persons had fraudulently given admission to several students in the management quota. In fact, they forced students to adopt Christianity so that they could be accommodated in reserved seats. Lakhs of rupees were collected by these trustees and the same had been deposited in Bank of India.
The principal lodged a separate court case in the district court against the nine seeking action against them for fraud, keeping official documents in their possession and alleged forceful conversion. Advocate Sutar appearing for the principal claims that the copies of the gazette show that the students had got converted after the admission process started. The rule says that one needs to have been converted for at least five years to avail of reserved quota on the basis of religion, cast or creed. Also, because of the fraud, the college has already received notice from the National Council of Teachers Education for changing the intake rules. The court has adjourned the case to December 4.
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