On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India confirmed the Bombay High Court’s decision to dismiss a petition contesting the University of Mumbai’s initiative to reduce student admissions by half in its affiliated law colleges. This petition, brought forward by the Lawyers’ Foundation, had previously been rejected by the Bombay High Court in July, which also imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh for what it deemed as a frivolous plea.
The case was reviewed by a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, alongside Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana. While the Supreme Court upheld the High Court’s dismissal of the petition, it decided to annul the financial penalty, acknowledging the petitioner’s commitment to refrain from filing such petitions in the future.
“Considering the petitioner’s assurance to abstain from filing frivolous petitions going forward, we take a lenient approach,” the Court stated, revising the Bombay High Court’s decision to eliminate the ₹1 lakh costs. The Special Leave Petition (SLP) was therefore dismissed, with the penalty rescinded.
The Lawyers’ Foundation had challenged a directive from Mumbai University that reduced by 50% the student intake for both 3-year and 5-year LLB programs across approximately 45 colleges for the academic year 2026–27. The High Court had questioned how the petitioner obtained sensitive information included in their plea, particularly details concerning a specific college’s operations.
During its proceedings, the High Court noted suspicions that the plea might be a proxy litigation, especially after discovering that Rizvi College of Law, one of the involved institutions, was functioning without any faculty. This revelation led the Court to suggest that the petition could have been filed on behalf of Rizvi College to contest the university’s decision affecting the college.
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The Supreme Court’s ruling underscores the necessity for genuine grievances in legal petitions and highlights its willingness to reconsider punitive measures when assurances are made against future misuse of the legal system.
