Narsee Monjee College defies MU, denies accident survivor permission to write exam

Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics (NMCCE) has said that they are an autonomous institution and do not fall under the purview of the MU’s grievance redressal cell, which held a hearing last month wherein the college principal and Juyal were present

Mumbai: Siddharth Juyal, a Bandra-Worli Sea Link accident survivor, continues to face difficulties even after a month the University of Mumbai (MU) allowed him to appear for his BCom first semester exam.

Narsee Monjee College defies MU, denies accident survivor permission to write exam

Now, Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics (NMCCE) has said that they are an autonomous institution and do not fall under the purview of the MU’s grievance redressal cell, which held a hearing last month wherein the college principal and Juyal were present.

Earlier, Juyal had registered a complaint with the MU against the college for not allowing him to appear for his first semester exam owing to lack of attendance caused due to his hospitalisation and injury.

Juyal’s father Manish said, “We approached the college with the MU’s letter. They replied that the college has been granted an autonomous status by the University Grants Commission and MU. It said as per the provisions of the Maharashtra Public University Act, 2016, autonomous institutions have full academic and administrative autonomy and can constitute their authorities and frame regulations to perform various academic and administrative functions as per UGC guidelines.”

The college’s reply said as per the autonomy scheme, the institution has its attendance rules, which are approved by the competent authority and Juyal was debarred due to deficiency in attendance.

“It is a mental harassment my son is going through,” Manish said.

Meanwhile, an MU spokesperson said the college has to follow the orders of the redressal cell. “Even if it is an autonomous institution, the degree is given by the university. The grievance redressal cell is there to solve grievances of students,” the spokesperson said.

When contacted, Dr Parag Ajagaonkar, principal of NMCCE, refused to comment.

Juyal, 19, a resident of Parel, was in the Maruti Swift along with Mohammed Rayyan Patel, 18, and Shane Joseph Portugal, 18, when the accident killed five and injured eight in the early hours on October 5, 2022.

While Juyal informed the college about the accident and his injuries within five days of his accident and later submitted the required medical documents explaining the reason behind his absence, he was not allowed to appear for the first semester exam. However, the college allowed Juyal to appear for the second semester exams.