Education, Careers & Professional News
SC Notice To Chhattisgarh On Pvt Varsity Students To Take Exam
With the fate of thousands of students hanging in balance by the scrapping of universities in Chhattisgarh, the Supreme Court today issued notice to the state on Rai University`s plea to allow the students registered with its branches across India to take examination through its unit now affiliated to Pt Ravishanker Shukla University.
A bench comprising Chief Justice R C Lahoti, Justice D M Dharmadhikari and Justice G P Mathur sought reply from the Chhattisgarh government, the state-affiliated university and the department of higher education and posted the matter for further hearing after summer vacation.
The application filed by Rai University, de-recognised after the apex court judgement, sought court`s direction for permitting the students registered in its study centres outside the state to take examination held by the state-affiliated university.
Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for the private institution, submitted that after the derecognition of deemed private university, career of several thousands students have been jeopardized and there have been cases of suicides committed by some of them.
He said thousands of students were registered with Rai University`s study centres outside the state and under the circumstances they could only complete their course if they are allowed to take the examination conducted by the university affiliated to the state government.
During the hearing, the bench observed as to how the state-affiliated university allows the students studying in the study centres of private institution outside the state to appear in the examination.
The apex court on February 13 had sounded a warning note to those commercially exploiting students in the name of education and had ruled that no state could allow registration of a private university which did not have pre-existing campus, faculty, library and other facilities.
While recognising right of a state to establish a university, the court had cautioned that this did not mean any institution without proper facilities could be recognised as a private university.
Stressing on the observance of the conditions and guidelines set by University Grants Commission in setting up of a university, the bench had said the Chhattisgarh Act allowing incorporation of private universities in the state was an attempt to negate the high standards of education sought to be achieved by parliament through various legislations.
The Chhattisgarh Act had allowed registration of private universities in the state if an institution had shown proof of having 15 to 25 acres of land depending upon its proximity to Raipur and a corpus of Rs two crore.