44 deemed varsities get a second chance

Universities and government may fight,but we are concerned with the students future.

With the future of almost two lakh students at stake,the government has agreed to re-examine its decision to close 44 deemed-to-be universities blacklisted for not meeting the basic standards of infrastructure and education.

Universities and government may fight,but we are concerned with the students future. Their future is of paramount importance to us, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Dalveer Bhandari and Deepak Verma stated on Tuesday while concurring with the governments undertaking to offer the universities a second chance.

The Bench asked the government,represented by Attorney General G E Vahanvati,to file a comprehensive report by April 23,about the status of the universities after providing them with opportunity to explain individual circumstances of functioning.

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The government,the court said,was free to inspect the universities premises to see if they had upgraded their facilities and academic courses.

The government,for its part,assured the court that it will issue notices to the universities next week. The universities have to file their responses in the following two weeks.

The hearing began with Vahanvati offering to re-consider the HRD Ministrys decision to de-recognise the 44 universities as recorded in a January 19,2010 affidavit taken on the basis of is own V N Tandon Committee report. The universities rushed to the SC seeking reprieve and were allowed a stay on January 25. Senior advocate Fali S Nariman had even questioned how HRD Minister Kapil Sibal could readily accept the recommendations of a non-statutory body like the Tandon panel without sparing a thought for the students.