HC directs VTU to extend one-time exit scheme to CBCS students

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday directed the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and eight other technological institutes to allow 29 students, who have moved the court, to pay their examination fees and appear for the subjects in which they have been unsuccessful under VTU's one-time exit scheme.

Justice A S Bopanna passed the interim order while hearing a bunch of petitions filed by Puneeth N V and 28 others, who have moved the court seeking directions to the competent authority to extend the benefits of the one-time exit scheme to them. At present, the scheme is being implemented for non-Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) students.

VTU's one-time exit scheme was introduced on September 13, 2017. According to the scheme, the students can go to the next semester irrespective of backlogs and they will be allowed to take exams of odd semesters in March and April 2018 only if they are eligible or have less than four backlogs plus no critical subjects.

Sale of liquor to minors

The high court has asked the petitioner to give representation to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the Excise Commissioner while hearing a petition with regard to consumption of liquor by minors.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Laya Sajan Meriyanda, a minor, seeking directions to the state government and Excise department to ensure strict compliance with the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and rules made therein with regard to prohibition of sale of liquor to minors.

The court asked the petitioners if they had given representations regarding the same to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to which the petitioners replied in the negative.

The court asked the petitioners to make the representations to the respective authorities and then approach the court. The matter was disposed of.