University withdraws MBBS grace marks

MUMBAI, MARCH 31: After a three hour meeting, the Board of Examinations (BoE) of the University of Mumbai today agreed to withdraw the ei...

MUMBAI, MARCH 31: After a three hour meeting, the Board of Examinations (BoE) of the University of Mumbai today agreed to withdraw the eight grace marks awarded to all final year MBBS students, subject to the approval of the chancellor. Governor PC Alexander’s seal of approval now seems a formality as it was he himself who had issued a show-cause notice to the vice-chancellor five days ago, terming the university’s decision on grace marks as “illegal and beyond its powers.”

Today’s BoE meeting, called specifically to discuss the MBBS issue following the show-cause notice, was attended by 13 of the 19 Board members. Though most of the proceedings were shrouded in secrecy, it was learnt that at least two of the Board members present raised the fact that they had been mislead by the University. Their contention was that they had not been informed about the use of Ordinance 234. Dr Deshmukh’s chief defence to the chancellor — which was later rejected — was that the university had the power to amend the results under Ordinance 234.

Board members are also believed to have stated that no papers had been placed on time before them, and that they were not appraised of all the facts of the case. Other members termed the whole incident as “unfortunate” for the university.

Story continues below this ad

Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Naresh Chandra said that the Board decision was taken unanimously and that the university would “abide by the decision taken by the Chancellor.”

Questioned about the 64 students who passed because of the vice-chancellor’s decision to grant grace marks, Dr Chandra said that their position was also discussed at the meeting and if need be, they would be given a chance to get their papers re-evaluated and also to appear for re-examination. It is also learnt that the university might also postpone the examinations, scheduled at present for April 12.

The Pro V-C revealed that in addition to informing him of the outcome of today’s meeting, a reply will also be sent to the showcause notice issued to the vice-chancellor by the chancellor. The reply to the showcause notice will be sent by the vice-chancellor personally, as the notice was not addressed to the BoE, a board member said.

Following the BoE meeting, student bodies have reiterated their demand for the vice-chancellor’s resignation. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) held a demonstration at the university’s Fort campus this morning, demanding Dr Deshmukh’s resignation. NSUI president Rahul Khedekar has also stated that the students should be given reasonable time to apply for revaluation and to prepare for reexamination. Before the meeting, the NSUI also submitted a memorandum asking the board members to take a `judicious impartial decision’ regarding the grace marks.

Story continues below this ad

Dhiraj Borikar, from Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), stated that the vice-chancellor should resign on moral grounds. The decision to grant eight grace marks reeked of vested interests, he said.

The vice-chancellor has also accepted the resignation of the dean of the faculty of medicine, her husband, Dr S N Deshmukh. Dr Deshmukh resigned last Thursday protesting against the `vilification’ campaign by The Indian Express group of publications.

The impugned video, posted by the Bihar Congress on September 10 and marked as ‘AI-generated’, depicted Modi dreaming about his deceased mother, who appeared to criticise him over his politics in poll-bound Bihar.

Patna HC tells Facebook, X, YouTube to remove AI video featuring Modi, his mother

India41 min ago

The Patna High Court has ordered the removal of an AI-generated video of PM Modi and his late mother from social media, citing violations of privacy and dignity rights. The video was deemed defamatory and could impact the upcoming elections. Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter were directed to stop its circulation.

View all shorts

Live Blog