Over 200 parents and students gathered at Bal Bhavan, the office of the deputy director of school education, on Saturday, to request relief for students who got a raw deal while seeking admission to junior colleges. According to the parents, a recent high court order has spelt chaos for online admissions to the first year of junior colleges, leaving out many who feature on the second merit list, declared on Thursday, without colleges. State BJP vice-president Mangal Prabhat Lodha has written to education minister Vinod Tawde seeking his intervention in the matter. The source of the agitation is a July 12 order from the Bombay High Court's Nagpur bench that minority instituted be allowed to admit general candidates to minority seats only if they do not get a seat after the centralised admission process is complete. As such, the education department had to return vacant minority-quota seats that had been surrendered by minority colleges. Bhavika Parekh, parent of a student seeking admission to a junior college, said, "Because of this order and the sudden change in the admission process, many high-scorers have not been able to get admissions in the colleges of their choice. We want the old admission process back." Another parent, whose daughter scored 90.4 per cent, said, "What is happening now is just giving a message to students that there is no meaning in working hard and scoring good if they are not going to get a college of their choice. MP Lodha took us to meet Minister Tawde today and we requested him to help us bring the old process back." College officials said they are awaiting directions from the education department. Rajendra Ahire, deputy director of school education, said, "Soon, a meeting will be held to discuss the online admission process issue and junior colleges will be given appropriate directions."

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