Mumbai University (MU) may be in revamp mode after its numerous fiascos, but does the present situation bode well for the varsity?
Mumbai University (MU) may be in revamp mode after its numerous fiascos, but does the present situation bode well for the varsity?
SK Nangia, an RTI activist, had sought to know what enquiry was being conducted following a complaint he had filed regarding the delay of a political science paper given to examinees at the Government Law College (GLC) in 2011.
On May 18, 2011, this exam, given to 250 students at the Government Law College (GLC), was delayed due to the question papers not reaching the examination centre on time. GLC and the controller of examinations (COE) then blamed each other, but it was an RTI activist who pursued the matter. The intention was to pin down the origin of the problem, in the hope that some corrective measures would follow and students would not have to undergo avoidable inconvenience, stress and anxiety.
Nangia first sent a letter to GLC to seek proof that the college’s claims were true. The college replied promptly that the university had been informed about the students in March itself. Nangia then sent a complaint to the registrar.
After eight months and no response, he filed an RTI application to know the status of the plaint, the total complaints received by the university, the name of the officer conducting the enquiry, and the enquiry report, among other details.
“The RTI was filed with a view to save children from delinquent officers,” said Nangia.
What surprised Nangia was that, in absolute contravention of the RTI Act, the assistant PIO (public information officer) sent a reply instead of the PIO. The reply, dated February 13, 2012, stated that there was no enquiry in the case and that the university did not even receive a complaint. It even justified not conducting an enquiry.
“Matters that need to be investigated have been stonewalled by the authorities,” alleged Nangia.
When contacted, Rajan Welukar, vice chancellor of the Mumbai University said, “I cannot speak to you offhand as I do not get data at home. Why don’t you talk to the registrar directly?”
Kumar Bhagwan Khaire, registrar of MU, said, “I have not gone through the papers, but will look at them. I have just taken up the post, so do not know much about it. You can check with me later.”
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