AHMEDABAD: An Ahmedabad court has ordered a 66-year-old stock market professional to be admitted to LLB, capping a 24-year legal battle that began when a city college denied him entry over an apparent technicality.
The city civil court recently directed Gujarat University (GU) and DT Law College to grant admission in the 2025-26 session to Shashi Kumar Mohata, for whom the dream of earning a law degree was no fleeting ambition. Mohata’s fight started when the college cited GU rules and denied him admission in 2000, saying he had graduated from his native Kolkata in the 1970s in 14 years, not the prescribed 15.
But judge B K Avashia pointed out that the general criteria for a 3-year LLB course is a bachelor’s degree from a recognised university. Mohata got the degree, and it is immaterial how many years a person spent as a student, the judge said. “Therefore, the defendants have no right to deny admission merely on the grounds that the plaintiff studied only for 14 years and not 15,” the judge added. The court subjected the admission to certain conditions: GU and the college can cross-verify Mohata’s original documents and deny him admission if they find any discrepancy but cannot refuse admission merely on the grounds that he has not studied 15 years.
Mohata came to Ahmedabad in 1980, a year after graduating from Calcutta University’s Bhowanipore Commerce College. In all, he had completed 11 years of school and 3 years of college. This was one year short of the 15-year minimum-12 years of school and 3 years of college-stipulated in GU rules for LLB eligibility.
In the 1970s, a system of 11 years of school plus 3 years of college was followed in Bengal. In Gujarat, it was 11 plus 4 years. Later, the western state adopted 12 plus three years for basic degree courses. After shifting to Ahmedabad, Mohata began working in the share market.
He revealed that he had briefly enrolled in an LLB programme in 1987. He claimed no objections were raised about his eligibility then.
