Declare AU UGAT rules null & void!

AN APPLICATION received at the Public Information Office of Allahabad University (AU) has taken even the seasoned teachers of the varsity by surprise.

The applicant, an Allahabad High Court advocate, has demanded that the varsity's Under Graduate Admission Test's (UGAT) abridged admission rules, particularly section 3, 5 and 7, be declared null and void being, as the strange application addressed to the AU CPIO Prof Amrendra Singh claims, illegal and unconstitutional.

In his application, the advocate has pointed out that the three sections are unconstitutional and liable to be quashed.

Though the application has been forwarded under the Right To Information Act (RTI Act)-2005, strangely it doesn't seem to be seeking any information from the CPIO of AU. Instead, the advocate himself has furnished certain information citing some judgements of the Supreme Court with regard to reservation in admissions along with his application.

Through the application, the advocate has also raised objections regarding provisions of weightage to certain specified categories of applicants under the admission rules of the varsity.

The applicant has also asked the CPIO to initiate legal action under sections 420 and 279 of the Criminal Act against the persons making and implementing the admission rules.

He has further requested the CPIO to get the merit list prepared on the basis of the admission rules being objected to by him set aside. He has also asked the CPIO to get the money spent by the varsity in the admissions till date recovered from the top varsity officials especially those directly dealing with admissions.

On being contacted, the CPIO Prof Amrendra Singh confirmed receiving the application dated July 17, 2006 under the RTI Act-2005. However, he said, that the RTI Act-2005 does not provide for a CPIO of a public authority to exercise the question of validity of the duly approved rules of the public authority nor does the RTI Act-2005 empowers the CPIO to initiate any criminal proceedings against the officers or teachers of his own institutions on the basis of a complaint filed by an outsider.

Prof Singh said that the applicant should prefer filing a plaint before the competent court of law to seek redressal of his grievances.