Ironical that IITs can't make a software for common counselling: Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday observed that it is ironical that Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are not able to make a software for common counselling for admission for the institutes and National Institutes of Technology (NITs).

"It is ironical that till now an institute like IIT has not been able to make a software for itself," a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said.

The bench's remark came after counsel for IIT said that they are in the prosess of making a software which, after being thoroughly tested, will be used for common counselling for admission.

"How much time will you take for testing the software and by when will it be ready for use?" the bench asked the counsel for IIT.

To which, he replied that the software was not ready as National Informatics Centre can't prepare it and the government agency is not that effective.

"A version of software is being acquired but we need to test it. If the examination is conducted without testing, there may be a major glitch. We need three to six months for testing," he said.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for petitioner Rajeev Kumar, said if the IIT needs six months time for testing a software, then it will surely become a laughing stock in the Information Technology world.

"If IIT is not able to solve their own software problem, then what will they do to the clients problem?" the bench said.

He alleged that this is not being done because it provides a scope for backdoor admission to the premier engineering institutes.

"We will see what you (IIT) are doing. File a status report. Put it up for March 25," the bench said. On August 1, last year, the court had pulled up IITs and NITs across the country for not being able to address the issue of vacant seats each academic year, saying they "cannot afford any red-tapism in this regard."

It had noted that IITs and NITs, which are providing consultancy to others on technical matters, are unable to themselves find a solution to synchronising the admissions to eliminate or at least minimise the issue of vacant seats.