New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has said that Delhi University’s (DU) not informing the court about the deferment of the online open book exams amounts misleading contempt. It has asked DU why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against it and its officers for withholding information.
The exams, which were scheduled to start from July 1, have been deferred by another 10 days.
According to a report by Times Now Digital, a bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad was furious with the varsity for not informing about the decision to defer the examinations on June 26, the last date of hearing of a plea challenging the conduct of online exams.
Reportedly, the court said that any change in schedule ought to have been communicated to the bench. The DU, in its defence, mentioned the decision was taken after it came to know on June 26 at around 2.20 pm that the mother of its Deputy Registrar (secrecy) tested positive for COVID-19 and the entire family had to be quarantined.
“If the stand of the respondent No.4/Delhi University is correct that because a family member of Deputy Registrar (Secrecy) had gone down with COVID-19 and the University came to know that the entire family had to be quarantined only after the matter was over then there was enough time for Delhi University to have reverted back to this Court on the same day or at least the next morning and apprise us”. However, “this did not happen,” the court said.
The court further said, “In view of the aforesaid conduct, we are prima facie of the opinion that contempt proceedings ought to be initiated against the Delhi University and its officers for withholding material information from the court and trying to mislead the court.”
Moreover, declining to accept the defence, the court further listed the matter for hearing on July 6.
Comments are closed.