Supreme Court on UGC Final Year Exam 2020: Clarify if Disaster Management Act overrides UGC

---

The Supreme Court of India has adjourned the hearing on the UGC Case challenging the decision to conduct the final year examinations till August 14. This comes after the apex court has asked the UGC to clarify if the Disaster Management Act supersedes UGC's notification. Delhi and Maharashtra government's have filed the affidavit with the court, sharing the recommendations of the SDMA. To this, SC has asked for clarification of whether the DM act can override UGC notification.

With this, the answer to the all important question would final year university examinations be conducted or cancelled has been deferred again. Thousands of students are waiting for the final verdict on the UGC's revised Exam Guidelines for 2020. SG Mehta, representing UGC has said that students must continue to prepare for the exams while the decision is awaited.

In the last hearing, the Court had asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to clarify its stand on the issue. Today the advocate for the 31 students, Alakh Alok Srivastava raised a question on the constitutionality of the UGC guidelines. He said that Delhi and Maharashtra were asked to reply but our concern is not the states reply but the legality of the UGC guidelines..

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who is fighting he case for UGC said that the replies by Maharashtra and Delhi is contrary to the UGC guidelines. When UGC is the only body to confer degrees how can states cancel exams and expect UGC to confer degree?

The court bench including Justice MR Shah then asked SG Mehta if the Disaster Management Act had an overriding effect on the UGC directive. The court then gave him time to file the response to the affidavits of Maharashtra and Delhi state Governments decision to not conduct exams and also state if Disaster management Act overrides notification by UGC.

The University Grants Commission, UGC had earlier defended its Revised Guidelines in the Supreme Court today that is on July 30, 2020. The guidelines mandated all the universities across the country to finish their final year exams before September 30, 2020. The hearing in the apex court would be conducted on July 31, 2020. UGC said in its affidavit filed in the apex court. All universities and institutions obligated to conduct terminal semester or final year exam by the end of September 2020. Now the case would next be heard on August 14, 2020 and the decision is expected to be passed on the same date itself.