Telangana: Admissions are off-limits if you complain

Hyderabad: A few students in Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) were denied admissions in the current academic year for new courses due to pending cases against them in the University Grievance Cell. Executive committee of the university has passed a rule that anyone with a record of disciplinary action in the past won’t be given admission in the university, for any other course. 

Tajamul Islam, president student union MANUU said, “Last year, students who approached the grievances cell in the university were denied admissions this year. Their grievances were heard and they even wrote to the Vice Chancellor but nothing happened. Since the VC has the discretion to give the final decision, it is not known what the grievance cell wrote to the VC. There were no significant results of the complaints except for the fact that all those who had written to the grievance cell continued to be denied hostel accommodation in the campus.” 

He added, “In a recent incident a girl was denied admission in a PG course because of a case against her in 2015. We tried pleading but the university officials did not accept our pleas. Finally she was denied admission. The case has long gone and she even had to pay Rs 1,000 along with an undertaking. But now the case was dug up again at the time of admissions a few days back and she was denied admission.”

A student from MANUU on the condition of anonymity said, “The grievance cell is dysfunctional in most of the departments and people don’t even know who head these committees. There is not much effort put, to develop these committees so students end up approaching faculty members or students’ unions. These committees are almost irrelevant as they themselves don’t know the functions and responsibilities of a grievance cell. The cases which were put forward to grievance cells by student unions were heard by the grievance cell, but the final decision remains with the VC. Basically nothing happens after the cases are presented to the cells.”

Professor P.F. Rahman, from the central admission committee said, “Yes, a few students who had disciplinary issues last year were denied fresh admissions this year. Those conditions are approved by our executive council so we had to implement it. Admissions process is not only about merit it is also about the conduct of the student so there were few students with disciplinary charges against them and they were punished for their acts. That is the reason some candidates were not allowed to take fresh admissions this year. Grievance cells are there but they cannot help students when they are denied admissions for disciplinary issues.” 

In the case of admissions, grievance cells can only help if the issues are regarding merit."