The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has ordered the state police to file a first information report (FIR) case against a private engineering college that hasn’t issued final certificates and mark sheets to 400 students who cleared their final exams three years ago.
“This is an act of cheating, misappropriation of funds of the large numbers of students and playing hide and seek by the college authority. These type(s) of institutions should not be permitted to continue and the students also should not be harassed due to non-issuance of final degree certificates after depositing required fees with the college. The officer-in-charge of Pahala police station should treat this order as FIR and register (a) case and take appropriate action against the persons responsible,” the commission said in its interim order issued on Tuesday on a complaint against Eastern Academy of Science and Technology in Phulnakhara area of Cuttack.
It was alleged that the institute did not issue certificates to at least 438 students enrolled for B.Tech who cleared their exams in 2018-19.
The Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), to which the college is affiliated, told the commission that the college hasn’t collected the degree certificates, grade sheets and provisional certificates of the students from the university by depositing the requisite fees.
{{/usCountry}}The Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), to which the college is affiliated, told the commission that the college hasn’t collected the degree certificates, grade sheets and provisional certificates of the students from the university by depositing the requisite fees.
{{/usCountry}}“The commission is of the view that the acts amount to clear cheating by the college authorities. Therefore, appropriate action is required to be taken against the college including the principal and the persons in charge of management for commission of offences of cheating and misappropriation of funds,” OHRC said.
The commission also asked the university and All India Council for Technical Education to take a decision on de-recognition and de-affiliation of the college.
Lawyer for the students, Biswapriya Kanungo said the university told the human rights panel that since 2016-17, nearly 11,000 certificates of students from 135 colleges who passed out were yet to be given. “Once a student passes out, it is the duty of the college and the university to give certificates to the students. BPUT should also be hauled up for the failure,” said Kanungo.