No proposal to bring DU under ESMA: Centre

NEW DELHI: There is no proposal to bring Delhi University under Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), the ministry of human resource and development (MHRD) said on Saturday. Two days ago, the varsity's teachers had raised an objection to the formation of the working group to look into DU Act.

R Subramanyam, the secretary for higher education, tweeted, "There is no such proposal to bring Delhi University under ESMA. The suggestion to ban strikes in the examination services came from some affected students during the DUTA strike. We have examined it and are not going ahead with the suggestion."

However, the ministry had sent the university a letter on October 4, informing it about the formation of a seven-member working group - including a representative of DU - to look into the matter. The committee was to submit the report in 30 days.

The study to bring these activities under ESMA meant that the teaching, non-teaching staff and students would be prohibited from indulging in actions that will disrupt and effect activities in the university. Meanwhile, the minister for HRD, Prakash Javadekar, also replied to a mail from a teacher at the university who had raised objections against the working group.

"I have ordered winding up of this group," Javadekar said in a reply to AK Bhagi, an executive council member at the university.

Teachers called it their victory, claiming such a decision exposed the real face of the government.