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HC seeks UGC, DU replies on contempt petition

The Delhi High Court has asked the UGC and Delhi University to submit their response on a plea for contempt…

HC seeks UGC, DU replies on contempt petition

Delhi High Court (Photo: Facebook)

The Delhi High Court has asked the UGC and Delhi University to submit their response on a plea for contempt action against them for allegedly not having complied with its order for the appointment of an ombudsman for redressing students’ grievances.

Justice V Kameswar Rao, who issued notices to the two institutions in this regard, listed the matter for further hearing on 14 May.

According to the contempt petition filed by advocate Brajesh Singh, it was an allegedly deliberate non-compliance of the court’s 3 February 2017 order, which made it clear that universities failing to appoint an ombudsman or constitute grievance redressal committees (GRC) for colleges would mean defeating the very purpose behind the mechanism created for grievance redressal for students.

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Last year the High Court had asked the UGC to have a students’ grievance redressal system in Delhi University and all other universities within a period of four months. It directed Delhi University to expeditiously go in for the “necessary steps forthwith and appoint the ombudsman” in accordance with the UGC (Grievance Redressal) Regulations of 2012.

The petitioner said: “Over the time, GRC constituted by the varsity (DU) is merely a dead paper body in the absence of the office of ombudsman and due to willful disobedience by the contemnors.

Due to non-functioning of the Grievance Redressal Regulations, 2012, students of the varsity are compelled to take remedy from this court by filing writ petitions for their genuine grievances.” Last year’s ruling by the court came while disposing of a PIL by a former law student, who had alleged non-compliance of the UGC regulations concerning the appointment of an ombudsman by universities for three years or until he becomes 70 years’ old.

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