Pune: Law students files petition in Supreme Court against UGCs final year examination diktat

Pune: About 32 students from several law colleges in the city have petitioned the Supreme Court against the University Grants Commission (UGC) order to conduct the final year examination this year citing threat to lives of students, teachers and supervisors at the exam centres. The students have requested the Supreme Court to uphold the decision of Maharashtra state government to cancel the final year exams this year in view of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Supreme Court will decide the date for hearing this matter on Monday (July 27).

Krishna Waghmare, Kiran Salunke, Dnyaneshwar Lamkhede, Mangesh Nadhe, Priyesh Sonawane, Ajit Ghadge, Peter Smith along with other students have filed this petition in Supreme Court through Advocate Kishor Lambat.

The students have made the UGC, Central Government, Maharashtra state government, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa and Bar Council of India a party to this petition. They have also requested the Supreme Court to hold hearings in this matter on an urgent basis. Advocate Kishor Lambat is representing the students, and he is being assisted by Advocate Nitin Kasliwal and Advocate Pallavi Bhat in this case.

In their petition, the students have said that the state government has taken the right decision as per the Disaster Management Act. The UGC order is against the provisions of the Disaster Management Act. Conducting exams in view of the COVID-19 outbreak would put the lives of students, teachers and supervisors at the centres at stake. Considering the epidemic situation in Maharashtra, it is impossible to hold exams.

Krishna Waghmare said, “The decision taken by the state government regarding cancellation of final year examinations this year is a right decision. There’s a clash between the University Act and Disaster Management Act which we will put forward to the Constitution Bench. We all 32 students have filed this petition against the UGC order. The Supreme Court will decide the date for hearing this matter on Monday. After a couple of hearings, the final order will be given by the court.”