Something’s strange in RGUHS: High Court
Court detects arrangement between dental colleges and university officials; sets guidelines for admissions
The High Court has detected a possible collusion between some officials of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and some dental colleges of Karnataka. After several petitions before the HC in which students were refused admission and approached the court for relief just a week or even a day before the first-year BDS examinations, the court was alerted to this possibility. The last date for communicating to colleges (from RGUHS) that any student has been refused admission is December 31. But communications were sent in February, March or April and even in July and in the current case, one-and-a-half-year late. Most colleges and students approached the court with that communication letter right before the exams. The HC has directed the vice-chancellor ofRGUHS to put his house in order and warned that he would be held responsible ultimately as it is his domain. The court has also issued a set of conditions on the admission process for BDS.
The judgment by Justice HG Ramesh came on July 14 in a case filed by two 19-year-old students, Rahee Ingtipi and Hesamodin Ghafari of Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Whitefield. The students were refused approval of their admission for the first-year BDS course for the academic year 2013-14. This letter was sent by RGUHS to the college on July 3, 2015. The admission was declined on the grounds that the college had not uploaded their names and photographs on the university’s website before the deadline of 5.30 pm of September 30, 2013. The list of candidates had to be sent by e-mail to the University by 5.30 pm on the same date. The hard copy was to be submitted in person to the University in person on the next working day.
The order then went on to detect the malfunctioning in the University. The order said, “Having come across several matters relating to disapproval of admissions to BDS course, I deem it appropriate to make certain observations relating to functioning of RGUHS before parting with this case.”
The court raised several questions like why the communication (refusing admission) was issued belatedly and that too one-and-a-half-years after the due date. The university had to send the disapproval letter before December 31, 2013 but sent it in July 2015. Moreover, no one had even inquired about the approval but the university sent a letter out of the blue. “What caused the university to issue such a bald communication without referring to any previous correspondence? The V-C shall look for the officials concerned to elicit answers to the above questions.”
Something fishy
The court noted that it has come across several communications by the RGUHS to colleges disapproving of admissions. These were sent just prior to the commencement of the I year BDS examinations and none were sent before the stipulated calendar of events. The last date for sending such communications was December 31. Some of the colleges were sent the communication in February, March and April 2014. But none of them, barring a few, approached the court immediately but came before it “only a week or a day prior to the commencement of the examination. This appears to be a regular annual affair for some of the dental colleges in Karnataka.”
Hand-in-glove
The court has ordered enquiry into why the RGUHS was sending disapproved list late. “Sending a communication without any previous reference, just before the examinations, looks very strange. This appears to be part of a well thought out arrangement between some dental colleges and some officials in the university. A proper inquiry is necessary.”
Warning to V-C
The court sounded a warning to the vice-chancellor and said in the judgement, “It appears that there is no effective supervision in respect of admissions to BDDS course. Immediate corrective steps are necessary to set right this conscious malfunctioning of certain officials. The V-C shall make appropriate changes in the admission section concerning BDS course. If the university does not strictly adhere to the calendar of events, it will be a clear case of failure of administration in the university and the vice-chancellor will become directly responsible for the failure, as in law, he shall be responsible for the proper administration of the university.”
New guidelines
* University to publish on its website names of students approved for admission
* This should be uploaded before the last date stipulated for approval of admissions
* Course-wise and college-wise names to be published
* Names not approved will also be uploaded
* The information shall not be removed till the first semester or first-year exams are over
* This procedure is for all courses in the university and not just BDS
The High Court has detected a possible collusion between some officials of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and some dental colleges of Karnataka. After several petitions before the HC in which students were refused admission and approached the court for relief just a week or even a day before the first-year BDS examinations, the court was alerted to this possibility. The last date for communicating to colleges (from RGUHS) that any student has been refused admission is December 31. But communications were sent in February, March or April and even in July and in the current case, one-and-a-half-year late. Most colleges and students approached the court with that communication letter right before the exams. The HC has directed the vice-chancellor of
The judgment by Justice HG Ramesh came on July 14 in a case filed by two 19-year-old students, Rahee Ingtipi and Hesamodin Ghafari of Vydehi Institute of Dental Sciences and Research Centre, Whitefield. The students were refused approval of their admission for the first-year BDS course for the academic year 2013-14. This letter was sent by RGUHS to the college on July 3, 2015. The admission was declined on the grounds that the college had not uploaded their names and photographs on the university’s website before the deadline of 5.30 pm of September 30, 2013. The list of candidates had to be sent by e-mail to the University by 5.30 pm on the same date. The hard copy was to be submitted in person to the University in person on the next working day.
Citing the judgments in Priya Gupta Vs State of Chhattisgarh, and the Mridul Dhar Vs Union of India in which “strict adherence to the prescribed time schedule”, has been stressed upon, the HC ruled that in the case of Rahee and Hesamodin, “Online uploading of admission statement on the university’s website along with the students’ photos before the date and time stipulated in the calendar of events notified by the university is mandatory.” Their case for approving their admissions was therefore dismissed.
The order then went on to detect the malfunctioning in the University. The order said, “Having come across several matters relating to disapproval of admissions to BDS course, I deem it appropriate to make certain observations relating to functioning of RGUHS before parting with this case.”
The court raised several questions like why the communication (refusing admission) was issued belatedly and that too one-and-a-half-years after the due date. The university had to send the disapproval letter before December 31, 2013 but sent it in July 2015. Moreover, no one had even inquired about the approval but the university sent a letter out of the blue. “What caused the university to issue such a bald communication without referring to any previous correspondence? The V-C shall look for the officials concerned to elicit answers to the above questions.”
Something fishy
The court noted that it has come across several communications by the RGUHS to colleges disapproving of admissions. These were sent just prior to the commencement of the I year BDS examinations and none were sent before the stipulated calendar of events. The last date for sending such communications was December 31. Some of the colleges were sent the communication in February, March and April 2014. But none of them, barring a few, approached the court immediately but came before it “only a week or a day prior to the commencement of the examination. This appears to be a regular annual affair for some of the dental colleges in Karnataka.”
Hand-in-glove
The court has ordered enquiry into why the RGUHS was sending disapproved list late. “Sending a communication without any previous reference, just before the examinations, looks very strange. This appears to be part of a well thought out arrangement between some dental colleges and some officials in the university. A proper inquiry is necessary.”
Warning to V-C
The court sounded a warning to the vice-chancellor and said in the judgement, “It appears that there is no effective supervision in respect of admissions to BDDS course. Immediate corrective steps are necessary to set right this conscious malfunctioning of certain officials. The V-C shall make appropriate changes in the admission section concerning BDS course. If the university does not strictly adhere to the calendar of events, it will be a clear case of failure of administration in the university and the vice-chancellor will become directly responsible for the failure, as in law, he shall be responsible for the proper administration of the university.”
New guidelines
* University to publish on its website names of students approved for admission
* This should be uploaded before the last date stipulated for approval of admissions
* Course-wise and college-wise names to be published
* Names not approved will also be uploaded
* The information shall not be removed till the first semester or first-year exams are over
* This procedure is for all courses in the university and not just BDS
