EDUCATION

PU to constitute statutory bodies
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 13
The constitution of top statutory bodies of Panjab University concerning academic, administrative and extra-curricular activities on the campus and affiliated colleges comes on the top of agenda in the forthcoming Syndicate meeting later this week.

The important bodies are Revising, Regulation, Standing, Youth Welfare, Publication and Advisory committees. The university will announce the joint consultative machinery (JCM) that features the matters relating mainly to the non-teaching wing of the university staff. The members of the JCM include a Chairman (a Syndic), another syndic, two fellows of the senate who are not Syndicate Members, Registrar, Controller of Examination and office-bearers of all non-teaching bodies. Members of the Board of Finance will also be appointed.

Of all the bodies, the Youth Welfare Committee looks into extra-curricular activities in all affiliated colleges of the university. The Vice-Chancellor presides over the committee meeting and other members include the Dean, University Instructions, Dean, Students Welfare, two fellows, four principals, two lecturers (one each from the campus and affiliated colleges), president of the student’s council and two students from affiliated colleges. It is felt that the youth welfare activities needed a revamp. The Standing Committee looks into the unfair means cases detected during the university examinations.

The Syndicate will appoint the Dean University Instructions (DUI). This is important in the context that the current DUI, Prof R.J. Hans-Gill has proceeded on a long leave. The university is faced with a problem as to whether appoint the senior-most professor (above 60 years) or the senior most (less than 60 years). The controversy has arisen in the context that the Ministry of Human Resource Development had asked the university not to extend the service beyond 60 years while a court case is pending regluing the retirement age issue. The court had clarified that persons above 60 years of age can continue as the heads of departments.

The problem of colleges seeking disaffiliation in certain recently introduced courses of Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Computer Application and Master of Information Technology continues. The colleges which have sought disaffiliation include Arya College, Ludhiana(M Sc (IT)), SD College for women, Moga (B Com), Dasmesh College, Badal (B Com) and DAV College, Malout (BBA I and BCA II).

The university is considering revising the rates of Combined Entrance Examination (CET) from the forthcoming session. The CET prospectus now available for Rs 600 will cost Rs 1200 while the same form for the SC and ST candidates will cost Rs 600. Another sum of Rs 200 will be charged for the examination from the general category students and Rs 100 from the reserved category students.

Students who did not fill their examination forms in time will be required to give Rs 1,500 as fine. The syndicate statement of the Vice-Chancellor can feature enquiry reports against certain university officials, although there is nothing official about it.

NIFT student to hold exhibition at Bangalore
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 13
Kanika Kumar, a budding designer, is getting ready to exhibit her creations on a grand scale in Bangalore. A final-year student from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bangalore, Kanika has come up with an amazing range of casual and kids’ wear for her first exhibition.

“I have played with bold colours in the tie and dye technic in denim, which gives a chic yet ethnic look to my outfits,” explained Kanika, who was in town for a family reunion. A major part of her collection is kids’ wear.

A former student of Government Girls Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, Kanika’s flair for designing was evident during her vocational training. “Though my talent was given an outlet during schooldays, but after comparing the training I received in vocational classes and now in NIFT, I feel that fashion designing at the school level needs to be improved,” she opined.

Kanika, who had worked with the Wills Designer Wear as a part of her internship, said Chandigarh did not provide much scope for budding designers. “Chandigarh’s clients have more ethnic taste. This is the reason big names like Ritu Kumar and others are opening their outlet here. They are sticking to the traditional variety,” she adds.

Canadian team visits CIIS
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, January 13
A team from Canada inspected the facilities and standards being maintained by the Canadian Institute for International Studies (CIIS) here today.

Mr David Kilgour, Secretary of State, Asia-Pacific, Mr Brian Dickson, Deputy High Commissioner, Canadian High Commission, and Mr Derek Lee, member of Parliament, met faculty members and students of the CIIS.

Mr Kilgour, addressing students, talked about student life in Canada and fight over religion in different countries. He said there were a number of similarities between students in Canada and those in India.

Mr Derek Lee said Indian students had got an opportunity to obtain North American education here. He laid stress on quality education to students all over the world in the face of tough competition, failing which it would become difficult for them to choose a proper career.

Students enquired about various procedures regarding student visas from Mr Brian Dickson. The latter said a visa processing office was being opened in Chandigarh this year.

The CIIS has been making efforts to get Canadian recognition so as to facilitate student visas for those who wish to get themselves transferred to Georgian College, Canada.

COURTS

NK Jain’s bail plea, request for identification parade dismissed
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 13
A bail plea moved by N.K. Jain, former UT Home Secretary and senior Haryana bureaucrat, and request application for arranging identification parade in the rape case of a Shimla-based girl were today dismissed by the UT Judicial Magistrate(First Class), Mr K.K. Goel.

Arguing that the police had no right to decline the plea moved by N.K. Jain for the identification parade, the defence counsel argued that there was urgent need for identification parade as the victim girl had already stated in a plea filed in a local court that she did not know N.K. Jain.

Opposing the request application moved by N.K. Jain for identification parade, the UT Police had filed reply in the court that “the accused, N.K. Jain, has no locus-standi to move application for identification parade and there was no doubt about the identity of N.K. Jain”.

The police further stated that the identification parade was held only when the name and identity of the accused cannot be established during the investigation, but in this case the identity of the accused N.K. Jain had been established at the initial stage of the investigation and he is named in the statement of the victim.

Giving details, the police stated that “there was no fabrication in her statement and she had made her statement without any pressure in the court”. “Moreover, the accused has no right to direct the course of investigation. Since the investigation is already completed hence there is no purpose of holding identification parade at this stage,” the police further claimed.

Claiming that he was falsely implicated in the case, N.K. Jain stated in the bail application that the victim girl in the case alleged that she had been raped by M.K. Jain but the police was not agreeing with this. Moreover, the victim has already filed a complaint in a local court against M.K. Jain and it was a matter to be decided during the trial whether the victim’s statement or the police version was correct. Therefore he deserves the concession of bail. The court had also dismissed the application moved by the victim girl to record her statement in the case on January 11. All the accused arrested in the case are presently lodged in Burail jail.

Meanwhile, in a related development yesterday, Mrs Sneh Lata Jain, wife of Mr N.K. Jain, had alleged that the Chandigarh police had opposed recording of the statement of the victim under Section 164 of the CrPC due to reasons best known to it.

Mrs Jain alleged that the police was reluctant to record the statement of the girl as the truth would be revealed. She further alleged that the girl was being threatened with arrest if she revealed the truth.

Punwire scam: court notice to CBI
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 13
Acting on the bail application moved by the former General Manager of the State Co-operative Bank Chandigarh, Mr Vinod Sharma, in a case of his alleged involvement in a scam of Rs 11 crore a local court today issued a notice to CBI to file a reply . The accused is a resident of Sector-45-B and was arrested by the CBI on November 12.

The CBI alleged in the FIR that Mr Sharma along with others— the then General Manager, Mr Jagtar Singh, and officials of the Punwire had entered into criminal conspiracy and caused loss of crores of rupees to the bank. The GM had granted a loan of Rs 11 crore to the Punwire without obtaining tangible security, the CBI further alleged.