A parents body has pleaded the Delhi High Court to allow final year students of various universities to stay in hostels or paying guest accommodations that are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the examination. Delhi High Court has asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to consider the plea. Justice Jayant Nath said this will be decided by the authorities and treat the writ petition as a representation and deal it in conformity to the law.
The court has passed the order after a petition was filed by Juvvadi Sagar Rao, founder of Telangana Parents Foundation, requesting the authorities to decide on his plea.
The plea also sought directions to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Higher Education and Department of Health and Family Welfare to take precautionary measures to conduct the final year and entrance exams for higher studies making arrangements to noot cause troubles to the appearing students.
Advocates Sravan Kumar & R Balaji who have filed the petition said that government and private hostels and Pg accommodations are closed due to the coronavirus lockdown. Only a few government-run hostels are opened. It is causing great difficulty to the final year university students who belong to rural areas who stay in private hostels and PG accommodation, the petition said.
The petition has asked the Union of India seeking relaxation of lockdown restrictions allowing the final year students to stay in hostels and PG accommodation during the final exams and the plea was transferred to the Department of Higher Education for appropriate action.
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Since the exams are supposed to be conducted in October by the universities, the Department of Higher Education and University Grants Commission has been directed to consider the plea and appropriate guidelines may be passed, keeping the interest of lakhs of students who will be appearing for the exam.
"Now the examination schedule has been issued by various universities, it has become very difficult for the final year students to find accommodation during the present COVID-19 circumstances," the plea said.
Under such circumstances, government and private PG accommodations may be allowed to function, so that the final year students can conveniently travel to their exam venue.