HC issues notice to UGC, TERI institute on plea over degree

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has asked University Grants Commission (UGC) and TERI School of Advanced Studies to respond to a plea of a student who was denied the Master's degree.

Justice C. Hari Shankar, who issued the notice, listed the matter for July 24. The court was hearing a plea filed by Momisha challenging an impugned marksheet dated July 28, 2018 issued by the Deemed University TERI School of Advanced Studies in Vasant Kunj in south Delhi, alleging she was arbitrarily denied the Master's Degree in spite of the earnest work successfully put up by her.

The plea was filed though advocates Nishant Kumar Srivastava and Rajnish Kumar Jha who told the court that that TERI School of Advanced Studies has unfairly denied the petitioner any chance to re-appear in any of her papers or to get her major project re-evaluated.

The advocates said the university refused to explain the basis on which the major projects as submitted by Momisha was graded as it was, despite the great feedback that was received at the time of presentation as well as viva voce.

The only relief given by the university was to re-register for the entire course in order to get her degree, even though the students who have obtained lower grades than her have been awarded the degree, the petitioner's advocate said.

"The arbitrary and prejudicial conduct of the deemed university and its agents have jeopardised the career of the petitioner (Momisha) and wasted much of the petitioner's precious time," the plea said.

Momisha has requested the court to issue direction to re-evaluate the impugned marksheet issued by the Deemed University which shows that she has not obtained minimum marks required for acquiring her degree.

The petitioner has also sought direction to declare impugned postgraduate marksheet in violation of the fundamental and statutory rights.