Failed MPharm students move HC against NU

Nagpur: Three of the four Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) students, who were marked ‘absent’ and failed by Nagpur University (NU) in their final exam this summer, have moved the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court to fight the injustice meted out to them.
The court has issued a notice to respondents Nagpur University, director of Board of Examinations and Evaluation, assistant registrar (confidential section) and Wardha-based Agnihotri College of Pharmacy where the petitioners were enrolled.

Through their counsel Anup Dhore, the petitioners — Shruti Bais, Swati Daware and Jitendra Kubde — have sought quashing of the mark sheets of the result declared on July 18 and direction to the NU to conduct their practical examination (viva voce) of fourth semester.

The issue of failing the students had rocked the NU administration during the Senate meeting last Wednesday. Launching a frontal attack on the top brass, Senate member Keshav Mendhe had raised the issue by asking why the NU failed to protect the interest of the students despite having no fault of theirs. The members were unanimous regarding their view on NU’s ‘biased and unfair’ act in the case.

Cornered over the issue, Pro-VC Pramod Yeole had told the members that an inquiry panel would be set up to probe the issue while the students’ result would be put up before the Board of Examinations and Evaluation (BoEE) immediately for a review. As on date, no announcement regarding the results has been made by the NU.

On July 30, TOI was the only paper to highlight the plight of the MPharm students. They were at the receiving end of NU’s politics as it was the external examiner appointed by the university who had cancelled his visit hours before the viva and yet the students were failed in the exam.

NU had given three names in the panel for this lot of MPharm students. The first two external examiners were from out of state and expressed regret. The third was from Pune and agreed to come on June 23. After a couple of days, the third examiner too expressed his inability to come for the viva.

The college had immediately written to the Research Recognition Committee (RRC) of NU. An RRC member had assured the college that the Pune examiner would come on June 30 and formalities should be completed. But, the examiner had called up the college 15 minutes before the flight scheduled at 7am on June 30, saying he wouldn’t come.