Mumbai: Relief to optometry students, semester result to be released

Bombay High Court recently granted interim relief to 40 students of a college pursuing an Optometry course by directing the UGC to declare the results of the second semester that were pending since last year. The students are enrolled in Lotus College of Optometry in Juhu.

The division bench of Justices R M Savant and S V Kotwal, said: “However, with a view to see to it that the students who are already in the fourth semester are not prejudiced in any manner since the above petition is pending, we deem it appropriate to direct the Respondent No. 3 (UGC) to declare the results of the second semester of the said 40 students. Consequently, they would be entitled to appear for the 4th-semester examination.”

The petitioner was seeking interim relief in a writ petition filed in 2016, challenging the letter dated August 10, 2016, stating that the UGC has directed that the BSc (optometry) course has to be stopped from the academic year 2016-2017.

The petitioner was seeking to espouse the cause of about 40 students who have been admitted to the BSC (Optometry) course in the Lotus College of Optometry for 2016-2017. The letter was issued because the admissions were not carried out by prescribed online procedures.

It was after a couple of orders from the court that the students were allowed by the state and UGC to appear for their first, second and third semester exams.

The students are now waiting for admissions to their fourth semester. The college moved for interim relief as their second-semester results were held back by UGC as the recognition of the course is not yet decided.
News Source (Indian Express)