Vadodara-based Parul University has committed “grave illegality” by granting admission to 38 students who are ineligible, the Gujarat High Court stated on Thursday.
The court has directed the university to refund the entire fee, along with interest and damages, amounting to Rs 10 lakh to each of the 38 students in two weeks.
It observed that the university, and its three constituent colleges, had granted admission to the students in spite of knowing that they were not eligible for admission as they did not have the required qualifications.
The university had violated the guidelines for admission issued by the Admission Committee for Professional Courses (ACPC) as well as provisions of the state act regulating admissions, the court said.
Registrar rapped
A division bench of Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee asked the university’s registrar to file an affidavit before the court by the next date of hearing, April 15. The court wanted to know why action should not be taken against the registrar for “committing perjury” by making a false statement before the court related to details of admitted students.
The court also directed the additional chief secretary of the education department to file an affidavit on the action taken or the proposed action to be taken by the state government.
On Wednesday, ACPC, which had conducted an inquiry into the incident, submitted its report before the court confirming the irregularities in the BPharm admission process. According to the report, admission details of 38 students studying in the university were not submitted to ACPC.
The varsity submitted before the bench that of the 38, 11 students fulfilled the eligibility criteria of admission prior to the cut-off date and were duly granted admission. However, their details could not be furnished on the ACPC portal by the cut-off date and time.
Regarding the 27 others, the varsity submitted that their mark-sheets were not available till January 16, 2023 and they were granted provisional admission. Hence, their details could not be uploaded on the ACPC portal.
However, the inquiry committee, as well as the HC, refused to accept the varsity’s contention on Thursday.
Serial offender
Parul University has been a serial offender. It was in the news last month when African students on an international exchange programme were assaulted on the university campus. The horrified students were abused, heckled and assaulted in the hostels.
Attempts by Vibes of India to get reaction from Parul University authorities failed. This incident of racial discrimination and assault triggered concerns about students from particular countries coming to Gujarat on exchange programmes.
The university did not approach the police and the issue was “settled” internally, a student told Vibes of India. The campus security did not intervene in the matter, the student added. The university chose not to issue an official statement on the issue.
In another unsavoury incident, the university was involved in a paper leak scandal a few months ago. A student and an office assistant were arrested. An IAS officer, who had earlier worked in Vadodara, had at that time informed Vibes of India of many other irregularities going on at Parul University and said “they have political blessings and hence they go scot-free despite being a third-class place of learning”.
Parul University was founded by Jayesh Patel. Patel was with the BJP when he was arrested for raping a student in 2016 who had complained against him. The BJP dismissed him after his semen and DNA profiling confirmed the rape. He was subsequently arrested by Gujarat police. He is believed to have died of kidney failure in a hospital while in police custody in 2020.
The university is now run by his son, Devanshu Patel.
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