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New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the central government,
the University Grants Committee (UGC) and fashion institute
Fashionista on a plea by a student alleging that it was running
illegally and playing with the careers of innocent students.
The plea sought direction to blacklist Fashionista, The School of
Fashion Technology, declare it legal and take penal action against
those managing it as it had got its affiliation illegally.
Justice G.S. Sistani, issuing notice to central government through
the ministry of human resource development, also asked the Delhi
government, the Distance Education Council (DEC), the Mahatma
Gandhi University, Meghalaya, the UGC and the institute to file
their responses within six weeks and posted the matter for July
12.
The petition, filled by Mohammad Sajid, a student at the
institute, alleged that the institute claimed that it has
technical collaboration with the Meghalaya varsity, and is running
various degree and diploma courses without approval or affiliation
either from the UGC or DEC or the Delhi government.
The institute does not have any legal sanctity or validity to run
the courses, it contended.
Sajid said that he applied for the admission to a diploma course
in interior design for the academic session 2012-14 and deposited
the demanded fee of over Rs.1 lakh. However, when he started
attending classes, he came to know that the claims made by the
institute in the advertisement as well as in the prospectus are
absolutely false, baseless and wrong.
"It was further informed that the institute is well equipped with
studio and laboratories, library and well qualified teaching
staff.
"But, in fact, there was no regular qualified staff, hardly any
audio visual CDs, documentary collection, the library had hardly
any relevant books or magazines, the studio and laboratory was
ill-equipped, as most of the necessary instruments and equipment
were either not available and those which were available are not
usable as not functioning properly. No printed study material was
provided to the students by the institute," the petition stated.
Advocate R.K. Anand and Sitab Ali Chaudhary, appearing for Sajid,
contended that even the syllabus, course contents and curriculum
has not been provided to the students till date.
The institute does not have any rule or regulation regarding
taking the fee and other charges from the institute and seems to
have the one and only one aim to extort money from the poor and
innocent students by making false assurances and promises, it was
alleged.
The plea questioned how the DEC granted recognition to run
distance education programmes within a period of four months of
the establishment of Mahatama Gandhi University (MGU).
"Private universities (like MGU) cannot grant affiliation or
approval to any institute/college and in any eventuality, they
cannot establish off campus centres outside the state even with
the approval of the UGC," submitted the petition.
The petition also sought directions for UGC to cancel the status
of the MGU for wilful and deliberate breach of the conditions.
It further prayed that the fashion institute be restrained from
taking further admissions, and initiation of vigilance inquiry
against DEC, MGU and the institute and for punishing those
illegally running the institute as well as those who granted
approval to it.
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Framing Innocents
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