Can’t award degrees without exams: UGC

The Supreme Court was hearing pleas against UGC’S order to hold final-year exams by September-end:

nNEW DELHI: India’s higher education regulator, the University Grants Commission (UGC), told the Supreme Court on Monday that degrees cannot be conferred on students without final year examinations being held and that it alone is empowered to take a call on whether the exams can take place. State governments cannot cancel examinations, that power lies with the UGC, solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the UGC, told the top court in response to the stance of the Delhi and Maharashtra governments that they have cancelled final year/ terminal semester examinations because of Covid -19. “How can states cancel exams when UGC is empowered to confer degrees? Students cannot get degrees without exams. Such degrees will not be recognised by UGC. That is the law,”

UGC'S STAND UCG argued before SC that states can’t scrap final-year exams as that power lies with the regulator, and the degrees awarded to students without holding exams won’t be recognised.

STATES' STAND

Due to Covid-19, Maharashtra and Delhi govts invoked the Disaster Management Act, 2005, which empowers them to take measures during a disaster, to scrap the exams

THE CONTENTION

The question before the top court, therefore, is whether the states can use the law to overpower the directive of the UGC on holding exams

Mehta told a bench headed by justice Ashok Bhushan.

The Delhi and Maharashtra governments invoked powers under the Disaster Management Act of 2005 to scrap the exams.

“The affidavits by Maharashtra and Delhi are against UGC guidelines. It is the UGC which confers degrees,” Mehta said.

“But will the Disaster Management Act override the UGC directive?” the bench queried him, asking Mehta to respond in an affidavit. The matter was adjourned to enable the UGC to file its response and will be heard again on August 14.