No best-five for diploma courses in Maharashtra

For admissions to first year of post-SSC (Senior School Certificate) diploma courses in engineering or technology, the Directorate of Technical Education (DTE) will consider the aggregate of all six subjects of Maharashtra state board students. “We will calculate the total based on six subjects ourselves,” stated S K Mahajan, DTE director.The Bombay high court had struck down the state government’s best-of-five rule for determining the overall percentage of SSC board students. Under the best-of-five rule, the percentage of SSC students is calculated by taking into account five of six subjects in which they secure the highest marks. The court asked the state to start junior college admissions “without adherence to the best-of-five policy”.Subsequently, the Maharashtra government decided to appeal against the high court’s verdict in the Supreme Court. With the SC is on vacation till July 5, the earliest it can give a verdict is around July 10. Hence, junior college admissions have been postponed till the SC gives its verdict. As per the DTE notification, the provisional merit list for admission to three/four year post SSC diploma courses in engineering or technology programmes will be declared on July 9. Subsequently, the final merit list will be declared on July 14.Mahajan said that if the Supreme Court verdict comes before July 14 (before the final merit list is declared) and if the decision is in favour of the “best of five”, then DTE will have to take a “decision afterwards”.