DELHI HIGH COURT ORDER
DU will have to find out where PwD students are located. Sufficient notice has to be given to them for their travel.
Sachin Dutta, on behalf of DU, said specific directions will have to be issued in this regard.
Senior advocate S K Rungta, appearing for one of the petitioners National Federation of Blind, said there is an obligation on the state to take responsibility in certain circumstances and PwD students who will have to take examinations physically will face greater difficulties as hostels are still closed and where will they stay on reaching Delhi and even proper transport is not available at the moment.
The court told the varsity that it needs to have specific figures on PwD students and the facilities that are to be provided to them.
PwD Students
“The Delhi University is directed to verify the number of PwD students who would sit for physical examination and work out the modalities of their stay and transport etc,”. the bench said and asked it to file an affidavit in this regard.
The high court was hearing pleas by law student Prateek Sharma and National Federation of Blind seeking to set up effective mechanisms for visually impaired and other students with disabilities so that educational instructions can be given to them properly and teaching material is provided to them through online mode of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The online OBE for final year undergraduate students commenced from August 10 and will end on August 31.
At the outset, varsity’s counsel said it will commence physical exams from September 20; however, the court termed it as “unreasonable” and directed DU to expedite the entire process.
When the court suggested the university to commence the examinations from September 8, advocate Mohinder Rupal, also appearing for the varsity, said they needed at least two weeks from August 31.
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DU TO DECLARE THE RESULTS OF OBEs
DU directed to conduct physical exams from Sept 14
The court was informed that DU will start declaring the results of students who participated in online OBE by September end.
Meanwhile, senior advocate B B Gupta, who is one of the members of the Grievance Redressal Committee. set up to resolve the issues faced by students during online exams, told the bench that despite the court’s earlier direction the varsity has shared the password for the e-mail account only on Monday morning.
A single judge had asked DU to share the password with the committee chairperson,. A retired high court judge, on August 7 itself.
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Gupta said till now, no data of grievances of students has been shared with the committee. They don’t even know who are the grievance officers nominated by the varsity.
“Instead of DU, we are made to run after them,” he said.
An annoyed bench asked the varsity as to what was so top secret about the password. Which was shared with the committee chairperson in a sealed cover Monday morning.
“This is pathetic, what kind of conduct is this. Why are you sending the password physically in a sealed cover. Why can’t you share it virtually. These are only students grievances,” it said.
“Please dispel the impression that DU is trying to stonewall the committee,” the court said.
There were not more than 1-2 students who have complained about not being able to upload answer sheets. Dutta said.
He contended “Why should there be an impression that DU is stalling the working of the committee? Why would the university stonewall? It is unfortunate that such an image is being projected of DU before the court,”
The bench said “These are not accusations but grievances put forth by the committee.” and ordered DU to all the data related to student’s grievances by Monday evening through virtual mode.
UGC SAYS
Dutta said the University Grants Commission (UGC) itself has given time till September 30 to complete the examination.
When asked by the court about whether UGC has issued any advisory or directions to the universities to not press for provisional certificates till all the exams are over, the council said no such advisory has been issued and sought time to take instructions on the issue.
“Students cannot be left high and dry. Already exams are going on and they must be having butterflies in their stomach. If the need arises we will go that extra mile for students, take it from us,”. The bench said.
The court directed the UGC to issue an advisory on it clarifying their stand as the career of several students is at stake.
