[UGC VS STUDENTS] SC Hearing On Petitions Seeking Cancellation Of Final Year Exams [Courtroom Exchange]

SG Mehta requests Datar to read Page 7 of the Affidavit. 

Datar: In the second Committee, kindly see who all they’ve consulted. It’s very interesting. 

Datar submits that the 29 April report says that it will be left to the discretion of the States and the recent report states that the final examinations must be conducted. 

Datar highlights that the recent Committee report (which mandates compulsory conduction of exams) does not mention who has been consulted. 

Datar: This report was a report published by the Expert Committee. Kindly see who they were on April 30. 

Datar: The recommendations of the expert committee itself stated that if the severity of the situation does not abate, the students could be evaluated on internal marks. 

Datar: The recommendations of the expert committee itself stated that if the severity of the situation does not abate, the students could be evaluated on internal marks. 

Datar: What were guidelines back then, have become mandatory now. If the same UGC says back then that chart your own course, how can they force us now ?

Datar: I will take 10 minutes. This is at the beginning of #COVID19. It was noted that some universities lacked the infrastructure to conduct online exams.

Datar: They said that it would not be feasible and this was with few cases.

Justice Bhushan: Mr. Datar, we have read these guidelines. 

Datar now refers to the common compilation.

 Uniform direction issued by #UGC to hold final exams by September 30 without considering local situations is arbitrary and unreasonable - Datar for Maharashtra.