HC refuses to give urgent hearing to petitions on FYUP

The Delhi High Court today refused to give an urgent hearing to two cross petitions, one for implementation of the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) and the other against it.

The petitions were mentioned before a vacation bench of justices Pratibha Rani and V Kameswar Rao which said, "The matter requires effective hearing which can't be done by a vacation bench. It will be heard by the roster bench in July."

"We understand the situation. The admissions will not be affected. There will only be a few days delay. The matter will be heard in July," the bench said, adding that Justice Rao does not wish to hear the matter so it cannot be listed on June 27 as sought by the petitioners.

The plea challenging the University Grants Commission's (UGC) notification to scrap FYUP has been filed by Delhi University professor Aditya Narayan Mishra, while the PIL seeking implementation of the commission's decision to restore the earlier three-year undergraduate programme has been filed by advocate R K Kapoor.

The PIL by advocate Kapoor has sought a resolution of the "controversy" saying, "Most of the university's colleges are deferring admissions, leading to confusion among lakhs of aspirants just a day before the admission process was to begin."

Mishra, an ex-DUTA (Delhi University Teachers' Association) President and an Assistant Professor at Aurobindo College, had yesterday moved the Supreme Court which had refused to intervene in the matter and directed him to approach the high court.

Mishra, in his plea before the apex court, had submitted that FYUP is valid and the ordinance brought by the university regarding this is consistent with the UGC guidelines.

However, Kapoor has said, "FYUP violates the National Education Policy 1986, which advocates the 10+2+3 system, and therefore, it is necessary that DU must revert to the earlier system."

A year after the programme was introduced, DU and UGC are at loggerheads over the course.

UGC had issued directions both to DU and all 64 colleges under it to conduct admissions under the three-year undergraduate programme and not under the four-year programme implemented by the varsity last year, the PIL said, adding that UGC has warned DU and its colleges of "consequences" if they fail to implement the commission's direction.

Kapoor's petition also states that 44 colleges under DU have voted against FYUP after implementing it last year.