R.L. Anand, J. - (1.) BY this judgment. I will dispose of Civil Writ Petition Nos. 9033 of 2000, 9106 of 2000, 9422 of 2000 and 10082 of 2000 as in the opinion of this Court, all these four writ petitions can be disposed of by one judgment because common question of law and fact is involved in each one of the writ petitions.
(2.) FOR the sake of facts. I have taken the same from Civil Writ Petition No. 9033 of 2000 titled Dharm Veer Singh Sayal v. Army Institute of Law and others. The petitioner, Shri Dharm Veer Singh Sayal, of Writ Petition No. 9033 of 2000 has filed the present writ petition under Articles 226/227 of the Constitution of India against the respondents praying that the decision of respondent No. I reserving 48 seats out of 60 seats i.e. 80% in favour of wards of the army personnel for admission to LL.B. in the Army Institute of Law, Patiala, is contrary in the law laid down by the Hon'ble Supreme Court. It was further prayed that action of respondent No. 1 granting admission in LL.B, Course to respondent No. 2 under the Punjab resident category, in preference to the petitioner ignoring the fact that the petitioner applied under Punjab resident category by enclosing the Punjab resident certificate in terms of letter dated 6.6.1996 issued by the competent authority along with admission form and is higher in merit than that of respondent No. 2 by mis - interpreting the judgment of Hon'ble High Court in Civil Writ Petition No. 8190 of 2000 titled Mohit Garg y. Army Institute of Law, be quashed being arbitrary, discriminatory, and against the principles of natural justice and the petitioner has further prayed that direction be given to respondent No. 1 to grant admission to the petitioner in LL.B. Course as per his merit as Punjab Resident Category and that the petitioner may be allowed to attend the classes.
(3.) THE case set up by the petitioner is that he is the citizen of India and resident of State of Punjab and as such he is entitled to invoke the jurisdiction of this Court. The Army Institute of Law has been established since 1999 by the Indian Army under the Army Welfare Education Society to run five year integrated B. A. LL.B. Degree Course. The institute is affiliated to the Punjabi University, Patiala and Bar Council of India has given the approval for the affiliation with effect from the Academic Session 1999 -2000. This institute issued a Prospectus for the year 2000 -2001 and as per the Prospectus last date for submission of application form for Entrance Test was 31.3.2000. The prospectus deals with the eligibility for admission to the seats for the wards of Army personnel/children of Punjab residents and All India General Category. According to the petitioner as per Rules 2, 4, 3 of the Prospectus, which deals with certificate of reserved category, following is the requirement ; - "To claim, the benefits of ward of Army personnel category/Punjab residents/All India General Category, the required certificate shall be submitted alongwith the application form for the Entrance Test. In case, an applicant fails to submit the required certificate alongwith the Application Form, he/she shall be considered only in General Category.";