Centre tells Supreme Court that it has allowed UGC to conduct final year university exams.
As the final decision on conducting Universities final term exams now depends on Supreme Court as it is hearing petitions, the Centre on Thursday told the top court that it has allowed University Grans Commission (UGC) to conduct final term exams in Universities keeping academic interests of the students. Regarding the matter, Union Home Ministry has informed the Supreme Court that issued a notification to the UGC that it would allow final term exams in the academic interest of students. The matter is still pending in the court.
"Permission has been given to UGC to conduct exams. The decision has been taken in the academic interests of large number of students. Pursuant to Human Resources Ministry request, directions have been issued under NDMA to conduct exams," NDTV quoted government saying it in the top court.
Advocating conducting of final term exams, UGC on Monday informed Supreme Court had said that degrees would not be recognised if no examinations are held for final-year students even as the country was facing coronavirus crisis.
The UGC response was conveyed by its counsel, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, on a batch of pleas that challenged the UGC schedule for final-year university exams before September 30.
Mehta contended before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan that it's not in the interest of students to not hold exams. He asked the top court for time to file a reply to Delhi and Maharashtra governments' affidavits, wherein they said they had decided to cancel the exams in state universities.
The petitioners' counsel contended that the UGC guideline for holding exams are "not legally or constitutionally valid". Mehta argued that Delhi's and Maharashtra's decisions to cancel exams in their respective state universities are against the UGC rules.
He argued that the UGC is the only body that can prescribe rules for conferring a degree, and the state governments cannot change the rules. The counsel for one of the petitioners replied that there is complete inconsistency in the Ministry of Human Resource Development and UGC guidelines.
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