Andhra Pradesh: Technical glitches shatter dreams of law aspirants

Nellore: Many students are losing the opportunity to appear for AP Lawcet entrance examination due to flaws in the website for registration. Basically, the site is not allowing students who had completed their SSC or 10th examination through other than the regular system.

Normally, all entrance examinations allow students to enter the site, fill up details, and after filing up data, then they have to pay the examination fee before final submission of the application form.

But, interestingly, Sri Krishnadevaraya University, Anantapur, which is conducting the AP Lawcet on behalf of the AP State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE), simply asks the applicants to pay the fees of Rs 750 for law courses and Rs 850 for PG courses in law.

One cannot enter the site for submitting the application without paying the specified fees and they cannot get back fee amount even though eligibility criteria doesn't allow them to apply.

The qualification for BL/LLB course is any degree in 10+2+3 pattern of a recognised university with 45 pc of aggregate marks. If any candidate secures less than 45 per cent at graduation level, they should have passed any additional graduate or PG degree with 45 pc of marks.

In fact, several students who have pursued courses in open school mode are now not eligible to apply for the courses, as per the guidelines.

"The basic question is why the APSCHE is focusing on payment of fee rather than meeting the eligibility criteria? Are all these certificates such as SSC under the open school system, 3-year diploma courses are not valid? Many students completed diploma courses and completed their B.Tech courses subsequently. Are they not eligible to apply for the law courses? This is a somewhat ridiculous system they had adopted," said P Ravi Teja from Nellore, who failed to submit his application through online.

The applicants, who have obtained 10+2 or graduation/PG through the single sitting system without having any basic qualification are not eligible for admission into law courses. But the candidates who are having 10+3+2 system as per the government guidelines are being denied by the website as the conducting university has not given any option to apply for the entrance examination.

Interestingly, the website is asking for details of 9th class where open school students are failing to comply it. It is also asking for details of the Intermediate exam without giving any option and the diploma holders are failing to fill the column. These diploma holders join the graduation course of 2 years in the case of arts and 3 years in the case of technology as the first year is being compensated from the three-year diploma course.

Finally, even though they are failing to submit their applications online, they cannot get back the fees amount paid at the very beginning of the process.

A helpline employee from Sri Krishnadevaraya University said they are convening a special meeting on such cases and would take a decision soon on whether to allow them or to refund the amount of fee.