MUMBAI, Oct. 31 -- The Bombay High Court has directed SIES College of Arts, Science and Commerce to pay Rs.50,000 to the University of Mumbai (MU) for admitting a Commerce student to its Bachelor of Science (BSc) Computer Science course despite her not meeting the university's eligibility criteria. The court held that the college could not disregard the prescribed admission rules under the pretext of academic autonomy, particularly when it knew that the student did not qualify for the course. The court, however, protected the student's academic future, directing the university and the college to issue her marksheets and degree certificate after she completed the three-year course. The student had approached the High Court challenging two letters, issued by MU on March 1, 2025, and by the college on May 29, 2025, declaring her ineligible to complete the course. She had secured admission to the BSc Computer Science programme in the 2023-24 academic year after being assured by the college's counsellor and administrators that she was eligible as she had studied Mathematics in Class 12, despite having a Commerce background. After allowing a student to complete two years of BSc Computer Science, a college declared her admission invalid prior to her final year. Under Mumbai University's Ordinance 5719, candidates must pass Class 12 in Science with Mathematics and Statistics; having Mathematics in Commerce was insufficient. A 2023 university circular directed colleges to check eligibility and rectify ineligible admissions. A division bench of Justices R I Chagla and Firdosh Pooniwalla noted the student was meritorious and had not misrepresented her qualifications. Granting interim relief earlier, the court held that denying her degree now would cause grave prejudice, reiterating that a student should not suffer for a college's procedural lapse....