HC stays bar on madrasa students for 3 months

The High Court yesterday, in response to a writ petition, stayed for three months an admission precondition of Dhaka University (DU) for which madrasa students were not eligible for enrollment in eight departments.
As per DU syndicate's September 6, 2009 decision, admission seekers must study English and Bangla courses of 200 marks each in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or equivalent examinations to be eligible for enrolment in the departments.
Madrasa students study English and Bangla of 100 marks each and Islamic Economics and so are not eligible for enrolment in the departments, said the petitioner's counsel Barrister Imran Siddiq.
The departments are Bangla, English, linguistics, international relations, sociology, women and gender studies, mass communication and journalism, and population science.
The court, however, allowed the precondition to remain effective for enrollment in two departments -- economics and development studies -- as madrasa students do not study economics during their Alim (HSC level).
The court also issued a rule upon the government and DU authorities to explain in four weeks why this precondition should not be declared illegal.
Imran and Deputy Attorney General Mokhlesur Rahman said there was no legal bar on madarsa students, who qualify in the DU admission tests, from getting enrolled in the eight departments.
The petition was filed by four madrasa students, including one Mohammad Kamal, who qualified in this year's admission tests, on November 11 challenging the legality of the DU syndicate's decision.
The HC bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar passed the order and rule.