Delhi HC tells DU to expedite results of final year UG students going abroad for higher studies

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Delhi University to expeditiously declare results of final year undergraduate students who have obtained admission in foreign universities for higher studies. Besides expediting results, the varsity was also directed by the high court to create an e-mail ID on which students can send their requests along with the details of the foreign university where they have secured provisional admission, so that a request letter can be addressed directly by the Delhi University (DU) to the concerned foreign varsity. DU shall also give an assurance to the foreign university that the result of concerned students will be communicated at the earliest, a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and S Subramonium Prasad said. The division bench’s order came after it was informed by the counsel for the DU that a single judge of the high court had on 7 July, passed an order relating to results of students who were obtaining admission in post graduate courses in foreign universities. The single judge in its order had said, “In so far as undergraduate courses are concerned, where students may obtain admission to post graduate courses in foreign universities, students may write an e-mail to the Dean (Examinations) informing him of the said admissions, in which case, efforts would be made to expedite the results of such courses. The said e-mails may be sent by the earliest at dean_exam@du.ac.in.” The division bench directed the varsity to adhere to the direction issued by Justice Prathiba M Singh in the 7 July order. Tuesday’s order was passed by the division bench in continuation of its Monday’s order in which it was directed that the new e-mail ID shall be created by the DU within one week and information in this regard shall be publicised on the website of the varsity, duly copied to all the colleges. “The students will furnish the necessary details relating to their admission, their e-mail ID, the e-mail IDs of the concerned foreign university and the designation of the official to whom such a request letter is required to be served. In the affidavit to be filed by the Delhi University, it shall indicate the cut-off date by which the results will be declared for all streams of final year courses,” it said. The bench noted that senior advocate Sachin Dutta and Mohinder Rupal, representing the DU, did not inform it on Monday about the July order passed by the single judge. The July order was brought to the bench’s notice late on Monday evening after which it again listed the matter on Tuesday. The university counsel conceded in the court that it was an error on their part in not pointing out the 7 July order and said the error was bonafide and they will adhere to the directions of the earlier order. The Monday’s order was passed after advocate Amir Singh Pasrich, appearing for several students, submitted that the students who have secured admission in foreign universities find themselves in a bind in the absence of any provisional certificate issued by DU. He said DU shall issue a letter to the concerned foreign universities explaining the circumstances in which the examinations of the final year students have had to be postponed so that the concerned students can get a sufficient buffer period to furnish their provisional certificates to the universities. Advocate Manik Dogra, representing another student, said though the University Grants Commission (UGC) has extended the timeline for conducting the final year examinations to the end of September this year, it has not issued any advisory to the central universities for accommodating those students whose examinations are likely to be concluded by the end of September. As a result, their academic careers may be jeopardised as they are expected to furnish the provisional certificates to the concerned universities by the first week of September and that UGC shall take steps at the earliest to issue a fresh advisory in this regard to all the central universities, he said. The high court had on Monday directed the DU to commence from 14 September, physical examination for final year undergraduate students and to work out modalities for stay and transport of disabled students who had left the national capital during the COVID-19 pandemic. It had asked the varsity to verify the number of students belonging to persons with disability (PwD) category, who were left out of online Open Book Examination (OBE) or could not attempt it due to any reason and would sit for physical examinations. 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 10 August and will end on 31 August.