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Mumbai University Exam 2020: Cancel final year exams! students launch online petition

 May 14, 2020

• Mumbai Univesity's final year students have launched an online petition to cancel the final semester examinations. The petition has been signed by 34,000 people till now. Mumbai University's final year students who are unhappy with the decision of conducting final semester exams for this academic year have launched an online petition to cancel the exams. The students through the online petition have demanded CM Uddhav Thackeray and the state education department cancel the final year exams like other exams of the varsity that have been cancelled.
  The decision to conduct last semester examinations starting from July 1 to July 30, 2020, was taken during the meeting attended by Uday Samant, Maharashtra Education Minister and Vice-Chancellors of all universities in the state on May 8.  
• The petition has been signed by 34,000 people so far. Mumbai Mirror reports the description under the petition reads, “As we all know, recently Mr. Uday Samant (Maharashtra minister for higher and technical education) announced that final semester students will have to attend examinations to avail their degree. This has caused a lot of chaos and confusion for students across the state.”Lanix Lobo, a final year engineering student from Pune Institute of Computer Technology who launched the online petition informed Mirror Online that he, along with most of the batchmates, were under the impression that their exams will get cancelled. Lobo, unlike many other students, feel that it is unfair to conduct examinations for final semester students and promote other semester students on the basis of internal assessments.

Delhi HC Issues Notice In Plea Challenging The UGC Guidelines On Conferment Of Autonomous Status On Colleges

Delhi High Court has issued notice in a plea challenging the validity of the UGC (Conferment of Autonomous Status upon Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Autonomous Colleges) Regulations, 2018, for being ultra vires of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan has issued notice to the University Grants Commission.

Filed by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), the petition claims that the UGC (Conferment of Autonomous Status upon Colleges and Measures for Maintenance of Standards in Autonomous Colleges) Regulations, 2018 (hereinafter referred to as 2018 Regulations) go against the objectives of the parent Act, which is the UGC Act.

The Petitioner has called the said Regulations 'unlawful' and 'arbitrary' by arguing that as per the Act of 1956, UGC only empowered to make rules and regulations with respect to governance of Universities, and not individual colleges and institutes.

The said Regulations, it is argued, will reduce the role of the Universities to a mere 'paper approver' in the process of supervising the affiliated institutions.

While arguing that the 2018 Regulations go beyond the scope and objectives of the UGC Act, the Petitioner submits that the UGC has not provided any reason whatsoever to create a separate regulation for autonomy whilst there is an existing substantive provision in the Parent Act for granting autonomy to colleges/ institutions by UGC, i.e. Section 3 of the Parent Act.

The petition states that:

'Impugned Regulations strip the Petitioner University of all its powers and functions with respect to administration of colleges/institutions affiliated to it and render it to be a mere rubber stamp as the grant of autonomous status would render several provisions of GGSIPU Act otiose and meaningless.' It is further argued that the said Regulations have been promulgated by misinterpreting the residual powers enshrined under section 12(j) of the parent Act. It is contended: 'UGC has also relied upon Section 12(j) of the Parent Act for the promulgation of the Impugned Regulations, which is merely a residuary provision and reliance by UGC on the same to promulgate the UGC Regulations is unfounded, as it is trite that the usage of residuary powers must be limited to the issues, topics and fields covered in an Act alone and not be used to foray into a completely new field of regulation and oversight.'

The court will next take up the matter on July 27.