Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta on Friday ordered an inquiry into a clause in the terms and conditions of a test conducted by premier IIT coaching institute FIITJEE. The institute,in the terms and conditions section of its test Fortunate 40,makes it mandatory for selected students to submit an affidavit by way of proof of parents income. It,however,insists that the certificate must be attested by the President and Prime Minister,among others. The complete list of the people who can attest the documents reads thus: Honorable President,Prime Minister,Minister of Home,Minister of Foreign Affairs,Minister of Education at the Centre,Supreme Court and High Court judge,Cabinet Secretary,Home Secretary,Foreign Secretary,Education Secretary at the Centre,Chief Minister,Home Minister or Education Minister in the State,District Police Chief (city chief in case of a Metro),an official of the rank of General Manager and above at a nationalised bank,District Income Tax Chief (city chief in case of a Metro) or an official of the rank of Assistant Commissioner or above. I do not think the organisation is entitled to demand attestations from such top officials. This might be liable for a criminal inquiry, said Mehta. He has asked the Directorate of Education to conduct a preliminary inquiry. The probe was initiated after Mehta received a complaint from the parent of a student who was rejected as he could only produce a certificate attested by a sub-divisional magistrate. We have not yet been informed of any such inquiry and hence,cannot comment on it, said a senior FIITJEE official,Ajay Bhan. He also refused to explain why the institute had come up with such a list. Fortunate 40s second edition was last held on November 15 last year. It is a social initiative by FIITJEE,the institute website says. The programme will financially support capable students studying at present in Class VIII (going to Class IX) and Class X (going to Class XI) whose parental income is below Rs 10,000 per month. FIITJEE will support these meritorious students in their preparation to achieve their dream goal by awarding 100 per cent scholarships for FIITJEE programmes and 100 per cent waiver on hostel charges, the institutes website further reads. The Fortunate 40 batch for each program,at each location,will have a maximum of 40 students only, it states.
