Una university withholds papers of 100 SC students

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 9

A list of 100 Scheduled Caste students whose original documents were withheld by Indus International University (Una) was submitted to the Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission (HPPEIRC) today, days after the regulator cracked the whip on erring institutions for indulging in the illegal practice following delay in release of scholarships by the government.

Bharat Bhushan, a lawyer representing a few of the students, submitted the list to the HPPEIRC. He claimed the 100 students were pursuing various courses at the university and their parents were told at the time of admission in 2018 that no tuition fee would be charged as it was to be paid by the government under the SC/ST scholarship scheme.

Bhushan alleged the university had withheld original caste, income and bonafide certificates, Class X and XII marksheets, Aadhaar cards and even bank passbooks in some cases. The students were facing hardships while applying for jobs and admissions in other institutions, he added.

The father of Sunil Kumar, an affected student, alleged that their pleas to at least release the bank passbook had gone unheard.

The defendant university maintained that original documents were withheld only in cases of “zero fee paying” students (both current and pass-outs) whose scholarships were awaited from the government.

HPPEIRC Chairman Maj Gen Atul Kaushik (retd) said keeping original certificates in custody under any circumstances was prohibited under law. “The universities must return the original documents to students after verification or prepare to face legal action,” he said.

Maj Gen Kaushik said the educational institutions would have to consider self-attested documents valid for administrative or any other purpose.

Regulator cracks whip

• The university kept documents following ‘delay in release of scholarships’
• All the students fell in free education category, it maintained
• The education regulator has ordered immediate release of the documents