The Bombay High Court on Friday granted interim relief to 10 law students, directing ILS Law College to unblock their admissions and allow them to attend classes for the 2026-27 academic year from July 14, pending the final hearing of their petition.

The students submitted that despite clearing their semester-end examinations conducted pursuant to an earlier HC order dated May 4, 2026. (FILE)

A division bench of Justices R.I. Chagla and Farhan P. Dubash passed the order while hearing an interim application in a petition over admission-related issues.

“We have considered the college’s request for an extension of time and, by way of a last chance, grant the respondents an extension to file their affidavits-in-reply by July 14, 2026. However, we are inclined to allow the applicants’ request to complete the admission process and attend lectures for the academic year 2026-27, particularly since classes are scheduled to commence on July 14, 2026,” the bench said.

The students submitted that despite clearing their semester-end examinations conducted pursuant to an earlier HC order dated May 4, 2026, the college had blocked their admissions for the new academic year, putting them at risk of academic loss.

They also contended that the university and the college had failed to file their affidavits-in-reply within the deadline set by the court.

The court also directed the college to grant provisional admission to three students whose examination results are pending. It clarified that the interim relief would remain subject to the final outcome of the petition and that the students would not claim any equity based on the order.

The petitioners’ counsel argued that the college had failed to conduct the minimum prescribed teaching days and lectures while continuing to enforce strict attendance norms.

“The college has failed to conduct the minimum prescribed number of teaching days and lectures, yet it continues to enforce a stringent attendance policy. When students are not given an adequate opportunity to fulfil attendance requirements due to the institution’s own failure to hold sufficient classes, the basis for strict enforcement becomes questionable,” the counsel submitted.

The students further alleged that they were asked to complete additional documentation despite the interim order permitting the admission process to continue. They also claimed that a website outage prevented some of them from completing admissions within the stipulated period.

“Despite the interim order being passed on July 10, students were required to complete admissions by July 14 to avoid any impact on attendance, leaving them with a very limited window to comply. The issue was communicated to the university, but no response or clarification has been received so far,” one of the applicants said.

The High Court directed the university and the college to file their affidavits-in-reply by July 14.