Punjab and Haryana High Court raps Panjab University for 'lackadaisical attitude'

Tribune News Service

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, March 5

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped Panjab University for “lackadaisical attitude” after it acted in a “patently unfair” manner by withdrawing at the last moment the entire process for migration of students to its University Institute of Legal Studies (UILS).

Quashing impugned notice dated February 1, 2022, whereby all earlier notices regarding migration to the UILS during 2021-22 were withdrawn, Justice Mittal directed the PU to complete migration process within two weeks from the passing of the order.

The ruling came as Justice Sudhir Mittal allowed a bunch of petitions filed by Jaskaran Singh Matharu and other petitioners against Panjab University and other respondents. Quashing impugned notice dated February 1, 2022, whereby all earlier notices regarding migration to the UILS during the session 2021-2022 were withdrawn, Justice Mittal directed the university to complete the process of migration within two weeks from the passing of the order.

Justice Mittal observed the UILS third semester examination had been conducted. But the classes for the forth semester were yet to commence. The varsity would also have the liberty to hold a screening test for the applicants to determine their inter se merit, Justice Mittal added. The varsity has filed an appeal against the judgment and it is scheduled to come up for hearing before the Division Bench of Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice Sandeep Moudgil on March 7.

Justice Mittal, during the course of hearing, was told that the varsity published a notice dated August 24, 2021, inviting applications for migration to third, fifth and seventh semesters of BA/BCom LLB (Hons) five-year integrated course for the session 2021-2022 being conducted at the UILS, Chandigarh. Several notices followed. But a day prior to the counselling notice dated December 16, 2021, was posted, postponing the migration till the receipt of further orders from the competent authorities. This was followed by the impugned notice, whereby all earlier notices regarding migration were withdrawn, resulting in the filing of the petitions.

In the statement filed in writing on the varsity’s behalf, it was submitted that UILS students had submitted a representation to the Controller of Examinations complaining of marks inflation by a respondent-law college. The students, unable to take admission to the UILS on the basis of a common admission test, were now amongst the list of toppers, it was added.

Justice Mittal added deliberations of the committee set up by the university for examining the complaint of marks inflation received from the students resolved on January 6 that migration in the academic session 2021-2022 would be done after moderation and that the examination centre at the law college would be cancelled. The recommendations were approved by the Vice-Chancellor. Yet, the impugned notice was issued.

“Coming from an institution dedicated to teaching and learning the action cannot be condoned. The decision is patently arbitrary and deserves to be quashed….The lackadaisical attitude of the University fuelled the expectations of the applicants and withdrawal of the entire process at the last moment was patently unfair,” Justice Mittal asserted.

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