Delhi University Open Book Exams Hearing
Delhi HC hears plea by DU students on open book examinations for final-year students in the PwD category [LIVE UPDATES]
A Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad is hearing the matter now.
Delhi High Court begins hearing petitions concerning online open book examination for final year DU students in PWD category. Court to examine the data on mock tests, status of CSCs, scribes etc.
Matter listed before Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad.
Court asks DU: Why was the affidavit filed at quarter to 10? We didn't get the time to read it. The other side is equally handicapped.
Counsel was constantly following up : Senior Advocate Sachin Dutta
Court notes that the number of students who logged in for the mock was less than 50% of the ones who registered.
In phase I, 74,180 students participated out of approximately 1.82k students : Prof Vinay Gupta
Some students had appeared for the mocks earlier as well : Prof Gupta
What is the sanctity of the test when the remaining have not appeared for the mock? : Court
How many years complained of technical problems? There is no info on this? How many were able to upload the answer? : Court
There were 35 complaints till July 28: Senior Adv Dutta
This test was only to familiarise students with the platform: Senior Adv Dutta as Court observes that the data on students who uploaded the answer sheet was low.
As of today, the student may download and upload, for which mocks are being conducted. If student doesn't not wish to do it, he can download the question paper from email: Senior Adv Dutta
How many email address do you have: Court
We have address of a student: Prof Gupta
How many students have said that they want to opt for email?: Court
They need not opt. Both options are there: Senior Adv Dutta
Court notes that only around 39k attempted the paper, out of which around 22k uploaded.
Because in this phase, we had to only give access to students to familiarise them: Senior Adv Dutta
Out of 647 PWD students, 486 logged in. Out of 182 visually impaired students, only 50% logged in and even lesser uploaded the answer: Court
Court questions DU on the set up for visually impaired students who do not have access to internet and reside in non metro cities.
CSC have been asked to arrange for scribe. Any candidate is free to arrange for a scribe: Senior Adv Dutta
Where has CSC said that they will arrange for a scribe?: Court
CSC doesn't know how many students will avail their facility. DU doesn't know either : Court
They need not inform beforehand: Senior Adv Dutta
It is your responsibility to have the data of how many students would avail CSC : Court
UGC has mandated us to conduct the exam: Dutta
We are not going into UGC Guidelines. We are now seeing that students are not left high and dry: Court
The physical option is there (in second phase). We are hoping that there will be very less students for the second phase: Senior Adv Dutta
You are very hopeful: Court
Mode of examination for the physical exam will also be the same : Senior Adv Dutta
What is the figure on students who wrote the mock exam? : Court
Actual figure on how many students would sit for physical examination would be clear on August 10. : Prof Gupta
Senior Adv Kapil Sibal for the Petitioner: Actual number of students who uploaded the mock answer is 22k. Because one student may be uploading several answer sheets. It is less an 8% of the total.
There is no special arrangement for PWD students at CSC: Senior Adv Sibal
There is no data either : Court
Let the CSC representative clarify, he is here: Senior Adv Dutta
What is left to clarify: Court
They are playing with the lives of the students.. How do they know it (CSC) is working, is there electricity: Senior Adv Sibal
It is true that there are no special arrangement for PWD students, scribes : Dinesh Tyagi from CSC
We have a contract with CSC that they would provide assistance: Senior Adv Dutta
There is some anxiety in our mind: Court
Why does your guideline say that the visually impaired student would have the opportunity to meet the scribes two days before: Court
An overwhelming majority will sit for the OBE, others will sit for physical examination: Senior Adv Dutta
Why force PWD students to come to CSC then? : Court
This is optional. They can sit for physical examination: Senior Adv Dutta
60 visually impaired students asked for a scribe. 58 wanted scribes at home, 2 wanted at CSC. CSC agreed to arrange the scribe: Prof Gupta
We said we will facilitate, not arrange. We are saying we will help: Dinesh Tyagi
You are banking on CSC but see what they are saying : Court
We don't have scribes at the CSC : Tyagi
There is a complete mismatch in statements: Court
Who is arranging scribes at home?: Court
That is not possible. Scribes can be arranged at college or CSC: Senior Adv Dutta
Have you informed the 58 students?: Court
Prof Gupta will answer: Dutta
Prof Aneja, who is the Nodal officer, will answer: Prof Gupta
Please take instructions Mr Gupta, we are not going to ask the whole world: Court
Why are you giving hope to the students at go to CSC, everything is ready : Court
If they take the examination and they are not able to perform, they cannot take the exam later: Court
PWD students can sit for the exams once again in physical mode : Senior Adv Dutta
We are here to take a decision for you. We are only here testing the decision: Court
Your endeavours are not enough to say that the last point as been covered: Court
At the end of the day, there will be physical exam: Senior Adv Dutta
Then scrap this, why are you going the mock way and this and that. Let everyone sit for physical : Court
Issue of scribe is with the Dean (Prof Gupta), I am not part of the process : Prof Anil Aneja
On June 27, before the exams were postponed, nobody asked for the scribes: Aneja
These 58 students have come through some examination: Aneja
Are you discarding them on this ground?: Court
Out of 400, only 58 are in question and this number does not call for change in policy. They are sit for physical examination: Aneja
It was my organization that sent the emails from the email address of VI students. We asked for scribes from home because they live in remote areas. The number is large. They are saying 58 but we sent 107 emails: Senior Adv SK Rungta
We do not know where the CSC is. We said we need scribes where we are, not at home: Rungta
Total students are 189. We needed writers, reading material, assistive device. We gave a list. But we got no response: Rungta
We have dealt with the issue on the previous day: Senior Adv Dutta
These are final year students. They appeared in exams all throughout: Senior Adv Dutta
Students may have left Delhi in the middle of the pandemic and left everything behind: Court
Assistive device are with students themselves. Students were given access to collect everything from hostels. At that time there were no restrictions on travelling to Delhi. Even today there are no restrictions: Senior Adv Dutta
Let these 107 students give their details: Senior Adv Dutta
We are not going to duplicate it. They have already sent it: Court
This word file that he talking about was sent on June 16. It had a Google form containing info of all 189 students: Senior Adv Rungta
Their own July 3 circular talks about reimbursement of costs of procurement of study material etc. The college was supposed to give info. Post this, nothing happened: Rungta
Info sought from students included info on the location of students so that arrangements could be made : Rungta
Let info come from the students themselves: Senior Adv Dutta
Why should be say that? : Court
When you know the location of students, why are you not dealing with issues of scribes: Court
Colleges sent info on 229 students out of 400. For remaining, there was no information from students: Aneja
It will be an achievement if 50% students sit for this exam. Others can always sit for physical: Aneja
If students are filing the Google form, this means they have the devices: Aneja
All those who make a request for scribes, we will do our best to arrange one: Aneja
Once request is received, we will do out best, once they intimate that they have not been able to arrange a scribe, we will take care. I will take instructions: Senior Adv Dutta
We don't know if we should let you go ahead with OBE for visually impaired students: Court
It is going well for a large number of students: Senior Adv Dutta
DU has not acted on its own notifications on visually-impaired students: Prateek Sharma, Petitioner
We are prepared for students who are in Delhi: Senior Adv Dutta
Say that you are not prepared for outside Delhi : Court
No obligation on colleges to arrange so much. We have gone out of our way: Dutta
These students are not even here: Senior Adv Dutta
You want us to harrass them more by asking them to come for the hearing? : Court
How is anybody prejudiced. This exam is in the interest of students: Senior Adv Dutta
75% visually impaired students would still be able to sit for the online exam: Aneja
When does second mock phase end? : Court
August 4: Adv M Rupal for DU
Court notes that the data on mock test is only for the first two days and not the entire first phase.
Give us data on the third day as well : Court
Things are murky. Even now you have not shown us data to satisfy us. Nothing before us has impressed us, especially for visually impaired students: Court
Everything will become clear by August 4 : Senior Adv Dutta
We will put it on Tuesday. By then, you collate data : Court
Can it be Wednesday?: Dutta
Please have it at 2pm or 4pm: Dutta Court dictates the order. Court records the submissions made by the parties.
No, it will come by 12 noon: Court
Court dictates the order. Court records the submissions made by the parties.
To avoid any delay, the tabulated data shall be prepared separately for the two phases of the mock tests: Court
Court continues to record submissions.
Delhi University is directed to clarify their position with respect to the arrangement of scribes for visually - impaired students: Court
"It is the responsibility of DU to make available scribes for visually handicapped students otherwise the whole process of online OBE would be a mockery for the said students."
the Court observes
Matter to be heard next on August 4.
