Cuttack: Orissa high court has directed National Law University Odisha (NLUO) to pay Rs 1 lakh as “symbolic compensation” to a student if no seat gets vacant for admission in the three-year LLB course by Nov-end, after holding that a “bona-fide mistake” by the university cost her an academic year.NLUO had allowed the student to appear in its entrance test for the 2026-27 academic session despite her not meeting the eligibility requirement for the Odisha domicile quota. She secured all India rank 61 and Odisha domicile rank 6 in the entrance exam and was issued a provisional admission offer during counselling. But she was subsequently disqualified as she had not completed graduation from a recognised college or university in Odisha.A division bench of Justices B P Routray and Savitri Ratho in its Sept 23 judgment ordered: “In the event the petitioner is not offered admission within the stipulated period, a sum of Rs 1 lakh shall be paid to the petitioner, which is considered as a symbolic compensation to her for the mistake committed on the part of NLUO.”The dispute centred on the petitioner student’s eligibility for the Odisha domicile quota. She had passed Class XII from Sanskar International School, Dang, Bargarh, but completed her graduation from Kalinga University in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.She claimed that NLUO’s website stated that candidates under the domicile category were required to have passed Class XII or an equivalent examination from Odisha with at least 60% marks. During counselling, however, the university required candidates to have completed their graduation from a recognised institution in Odisha.NLUO disputed the claim, saying the webpage brochure relied upon by her related to the 2024-25 academic session and was not applicable to 2026-27.After examining the 2025-26 prospectus and 2026-27 admission notification, the bench held that graduation from a recognised college or university in Odisha was a mandatory eligibility condition.“Thus, according to our considered opinion, she lacks the qualification required for admission in Odisha Domicile Reservation Category,” the judges observed.The bench also observed that she had “lost one academic year due to the so-called bonafide mistake committed on the part of NLUO”, taking note of her submission that she did not seek admission elsewhere after receiving the provisional offer. However, the bench declined to order immediate admission, observing that there was no vacant seat and admitting her at this stage would displace a student already admitted.
