HC summons officials over delay in degree to hundreds of students

Expressing concern over the non-issuing of degrees to “hundreds of students” for the past up to five years, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has summoned the Principal Secretaries of Punjab’s Higher Education, Finance, and Scheduled Caste & Backward Classes Welfare Departments. They have been asked to appear before the Bench with the entire record and explain why scholarship amount had not been paid to Panjab University.

Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri was hearing a petition against the state of Punjab and other respondents by Janak Raj and other petitioners through counsel Yagyadeep and Rajesh Kumar. The Bench was told that the petitioners’ detailed marks cards and degrees were not being issued by the university on the ground that Hoshiarpur government college had not deposited their examination fee. As such, neither the result was declared, nor degrees issued.

The petitioners’ stand was that they were covered by the post-matric scholarship scheme, the benefit given by the Centre and the state government. They were not under the liability to pay examination fee because as it stood waived in case of reserved category candidates. “Considering the seriousness of the matter whereby career of hundreds of students is at stake by non-granting of degrees for the last four/five years, notwithstanding the fact that they have taken all examinations, cleared the same and qua some of them results have been declared, this court is of the considered view that it will be just and proper to direct the presence of the officers concerned of the state of Punjab,” Justice Puri asserted.

The court further instructed that a senior officer from the Union’s Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, “well acquainted with the facts of the case”, be present.

The Bench asserted that the court would also consider as to who should compensate students by fixing responsibility.