Parties protest as 50 students barred for using unfair means in December exams

A committee member, on the wish of anonymity, said this was the highest number of students against whom the action has been taken in the recent past

As the Unfair Means Committee (UMC) of Panjab University barred around 50 students after they were found using unfair means in the December examination, students’ parties are protesting against the decision alleging that the students were not given enough opportunity to explain themselves and that the provision in UMC cases must also be changed.

As per officials, earlier only a few such punishments were meted out per year. (HT File)

A committee member, on the wish of anonymity, said this was the highest number of students against whom the action has been taken in the recent past. The cases are formed against the students who bring chits and mobiles or have answers written on their limbs. Around 124 cases were received and the committee will hold further meetings to settle them.

As per officials, earlier only a few such punishments were meted out per year. However, this time the maximum punishment has been given out in almost all cases where items like chits and mobile phones were recovered.

A PU official said it sends out the right message if students are aware that action is taken when they indulge in such practices.

The cases are spread across courses including UIET, UILS and some BA courses. The majority of cases have been reported from the PU-affiliated colleges.

Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) general secretary Deepak Goyat first highlighted the matter. He wrote to the authorities to reconsider the punishment given to students by the UMC committee and asked that other methods can be explored rather than set back the career of the students by two years.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) also organised a protest regarding this outside the dean of university instruction (DUI’s) office on Monday. President Rajat Puri said this was the first time that all students who appeared before the committee have been banned. “Students were not given the opportunity to present their side and a uniform decision was implemented on all. The old regulation 5(a) of the PU academic calendar must be amended as it is obsolete.”

An official explained that currently, as per the PU calendar, there is only a provision to disqualify the student from appearing in any university examination for two years in case of a yearly system examination or four semesters in case of semester-wise courses with two exams per year. Officials concurred that a middle ground can be there for disqualification of either one year or two semesters but the academic calendar would need to be amended for it.

The DUI met with the representatives of the UMC students on Monday and advised them to file a review petition which would then be considered by the competent authorities.