Don't disrupt classes, court tells teachers

Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Delhi University (DU) and its Vice Chancellor (VC) on a fresh plea, challenging its decision to implement the semester system for under-graduate level courses in the Arts stream, from academic year 2011-2012.

Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of the Delhi University (DU) and its Vice Chancellor (VC) on a fresh plea, challenging its decision to implement the semester system for under-graduate level courses in the Arts stream, from academic year 2011-2012.

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The court, at the same time, categorically told DU teachers not to indulge in any form of protests or disruption of functioning of colleges, when the court is seized of the matter.

Though a petition challenging the semester system was dismissed by the court in November, last year, a fresh one, filed by the Delhi University Teachers Association (DUTA) against implementation of the semester system has been pending before the court since last year.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna issued notices to the University, the VC and the UGC on a plea by a group of teachers seeking quashing of the April 19 notification to introduce the semester system for the undergraduate courses in the Arts stream from coming academic session.

The University's counsel argued before the court that the teachers continued to protest near the VC's office against the implementation of semester system, despite the court's order not to resort to any such demonstration.

They also condemned the open air classes they were conducting.

But the teachers said they have only been protesting peacefully.

Meanwhile, the court asked the teachers not to go for any kind of protest when the matter is under the court's consideration.

Seeking to roll back the semester system introduced by the university and to follow the annual system as the mode of teaching, the lawyer argued that there was a need for a transparent procedure in which the teachers, students' union and experts should be consulting before taking any such step.

Following a letter from the University Grants Commission (UGC) on March 21, 2010, DU had implemented the semester system for undergraduate students in the Science stream.