Indore: Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) faces a challenge of adhering to a ruling by Supreme Court regarding granting affiliation to BEd colleges by May 10.
If it fails, the university will face contempt.
Following a petition, the apex court had fixed a schedule for admission, recognition and affiliation to BEd colleges. As per the schedule, the deadline for granting affiliation was fixed at May 10.
The universities across the country, including DAVV, have been following the ruling. But this year, the situation is different following the coronavirus outbreak in the country and subsequent lockdown.
The institutions had been closed in the third week of March following COVID-19 scare.
The lockdown is going to be lifted on May 3. After that, the university would have to start the process for granting affiliation to 65 colleges under its jurisdiction.
Affiliation process is time-consuming. First, the university constitutes committee which goes to the colleges for inspection to review facilities, available faculty and infrastructure. After inspection, the committee submits its report to the university which is considered by standing committee for affiliation. On the basis of the recommendation by the standing committee, the executive council of DAVV approves affiliation.
As Section 52 of Madhya Pradesh Vishwavidyalaya is effective at DAVV, the university does not have a standing committee and executive council in being so the vice-chancellor can take a call on the recommendation by inspection committee report.
Still, the process will take at least a month for grant of affiliation to the BEd colleges.
Malwa Region Private Education College Association president Abhay Pandey stated that the university won’t have to constitute even inspection committees this year.
“Raj Bhawan recently directed all the universities in the state to grant affiliation to the colleges without conducting pre-affiliation inspections. So, after the lockdown is lifted the university can approve the list of BEd colleges for affiliation and send the same to Department of Higher Education for conducting centralised online admission counselling,” Pandey said.
Association patron Girdhar Nagar stated that the Raj Bhawan also issued instructions for starting admission process soon after lockdown is lifted. “We will request DHE to conduct admission counselling at the divisional level this year instead of state level,” he added.
HC ruling prevents admission on merit basis
A ruling by Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High on a petition challenging cancellation of CET-2019 is preventing DAVV from conducting admission on the basis of merit in qualifying exams even when it wants following COVID-19 situation.
Last year, the online CET was cancelled as it was marred by glitches and the decision to grant admission in university departments was taken on the basis of marks of students in qualifying exams.
However, the decision was challenged by a student in High Court. The court permitted admission on the basis of marks in qualifying exams for session 2019-20 but made it clear that in future, the university shall make all necessary arrangements for conducting an examination to admit students in various academic programmes to maintain the standards of admission, strictly as per rules.
The university’s officers’ stated that the university could not go beyond this HC ruling but legal experts say that the varsity could move court citing COVID-19 situation for allowing it to admit students on the basis of marks in qualifying exams. “It’s an extraordinary situation much complex than it was last year. The university can get relief from the court in the very first hearing,” said advocate Nimesh Pathak.
