St Xavier’s College Moves Gujarat High Court Over Centralised Admission Mandate

Ahmedabad, June 6, 2026: A legal challenge by St Xavier’s College, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, has brought renewed attention to the rights of minority and autonomous educational institutions in Gujarat. The college has approached the Gujarat High Court against a state government directive requiring it to participate in the Gujarat Common Admission Services (GCAS) system for undergraduate admissions.

St Xavier’s College, an autonomous institution affiliated with Gujarat University, has contested the Higher Education Department’s decision mandating its inclusion in the centralised admission process. The institution maintains that its autonomous status and constitutional protections as a minority-run educational institution entitle it to conduct admissions independently.

Hearing the petition, Justice Nirzar Desai issued notices to the concerned authorities and sought their responses by June 8. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on the first working day following the court’s summer vacation.

The GCAS platform has become the primary mechanism for admissions to undergraduate programmes across government universities and several private universities in Gujarat. Under existing regulations, colleges affiliated with public universities are expected to admit students through the centralised system.

In recent years, several autonomous colleges initially sought to retain independent admission procedures. However, following directions from the state’s Higher Education Department, most institutions eventually joined the GCAS framework.

St Xavier’s participated in the system during the previous academic year but has declined to do so for the current admission cycle. College authorities argue that compulsory participation undermines the institution’s autonomy and the rights afforded to minority educational establishments.

Despite the college’s objections, St Xavier’s was included among the institutions available to students during the GCAS choice-filling process. Ahead of the commencement of seat allotments, the college petitioned the High Court seeking judicial clarification on whether it can continue to exercise its independent admission authority.

The outcome of the case is expected to have significant implications for autonomous and minority-run institutions across Gujarat, particularly regarding the balance between institutional autonomy and state-regulated admission policies.

Source: Times of India