The New Nation - Internet Edition

DU Correspondent

The High Court yesterday stayed for four weeks Dhaka University admission process for 'Kha' and 'Gha' units for the current 2008-09 session, as madrasah students put up legal fight.

A division bench comprising Justice Mir Hassmat Ali and Justice Shamim Hasnain passed the order following a supplementary application moved by the counsel for the writ petitioner who had challenged the legality of new DU admission rules.

Meanwhile, the admission tests of the units have already been held. On October 26, the High Court upon a writ petition issued a rule asking DU authorities to explain why the impugned rules debarring Alim-passed madrasa students from admission test in seven departments "should not be declared illegal and void".

Ibrahim Khalil and four other Alim students filed the writ petition against the backdrop of recent campus violence on the issue.

As per the disputed new admission rules, an admission-seeker must study English and Bangla courses of 200 marks each in Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) or equivalent examinations to be eligible for admission into the departments of Economics, English, Bengali, Mass Communications and Journalism, International Relations, Women and Gender Studies and Linguistics of the university.

Barrister Abdur Razzaq appeared for the petitioners.