The Delhi High Court has directed the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to increase a seat in its “Comparative Political Theory” stream to grant admission to a differently-abled student.
The court also directed the university it should work out a mandate under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
The decision was given by a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V Kameswar Rao. The bench instructed JNU to grant admission to the student, Dharamveer Yadav, by increasing a seat in the stipulated seven-seat course stating that the seat would be supernumerary and lapse when the student is awarded his degree.
“Also, we find that many reserved seats, at least 15 have gone waste as no person with disability could get qualified, against the said seats. In such an eventuality and in peculiar facts of this case, the court is of the view that the Respondent No 3 (JNU) shall increase the intake to eight in the ‘Comparative Political Theory stream,’ which shall be supernumerary, which shall get lapsed after Dharamveer is awarded the degree,” the bench said in its order.
“It is for the University to work out the mandate of the Act, so that every person with disability, who qualifies get admission. But in no case they can violate the mandate,” it added.
The order was given by the bench while hearing a plea by an NGO – National Federation for Blind (NABH). The NGO challenged admission policy of the JNU for the year 2018-19 after two students with disability, Dharamveer Yadav and Deepak Mishra were not granted admission by the university.
