HC raps PU for wasting 4 BDS seats

Saurabh Malik

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has virtually rapped Panjab University for not using technology to inform students about vacant seats in the BDS course, resulting in the wastage of four seats.

“The factum of the seats going waste is apparent and in this time and age of seamless communication, the university has not taken adequate steps to inform the candidates about the vacant seats available and to approach it, which could have easily been done by resorting to the Internet and the SMS technology.

“The valuable infrastructure of the respondent institute has, thus, not been utilised to its full capacity and four seats are going waste on account of the waiting list candidates not being informed before the cut-off date of September 30,” Justice GS Sandhawalia has asserted.

The rap came on a petition filed by Sukhmeen Madaan against Panjab University and other respondents through counsel Mansur Ali. The petitioner was seeking directions for quashing a notice dated September 30, whereby the candidates in the waiting list were asked to approach the respondent dental institute by 3 pm, along with the necessary fees.

It was mentioned that the candidates with a higher merit would be admitted from among the candidates present.

The petitioner contended that the notice was put on the website at the last moment at 11.30 am on September 30. The petitioner could not make it due to paucity of time as he was in Moga, situated more than 150 km away. Appearing on the petitioner’s behalf, Mansur Ali added that the candidates below the petitioner in merit had been admitted.

In its reply, the university took the defence that individual notice was not given. The date was September 30. As such, serious and desirous candidates were required to be present in the institute.

Taking up the case, Justice Sandhawalia, on November 5, directed the respondent university to file an additional affidavit to show the last candidate admitted and his serial number in the waiting list. The university was also asked to specify whether the seats were still lying vacant.

In its additional affidavit, the university Registrar admitted that a candidate below the petitioner’s rank was admitted and four seats were lying vacant with the respondent institute.

“This court is also aware of the limitations of the cut-off date of September 30. However, it is not disputed that the petitioner had approached this court immediately by filing the writ petition…,” Justice Sandhawalia asserted, while allowing the writ petition.

“The respondent university is directed to give admission to the petitioner, immediately, on the deposit of the requisite fees, within a week from today. Due to a shortage of lectures, the respondent shall ensure that extra classes of the petitioner are held to make up for the shortage of lectures so that the petitioner also gets practical experience. However, the petitioner shall not be burdened with the cost of the extra classes,” Justice Sandhawalia concluded.