New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has asked Delhi University to organise physical exams for final year undergraduate students from September 14, and to work out modalities for stay and transportation of disabled students who had left the city during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.
The court asked the varsity to verify the number of students belonging to ''persons with disability'' (PwD) category who were left out of online Open Book Examination (OBE) and would sit for exams physically.
"You (DU) will have to find out where PwD students are located. Sufficient notice has to be given to them to allow them to travel," the court said.
"Can it be possible to allow them to take examinations where they are? By roping in the universities there?," said a bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad.
Senior advocate Sachin Dutta, representing DU, said specific directions will have to be issued in this regard.
Senior advocate S K Rungta, appearing for one of the petitioners National Federation of Blind, said there is an obligation on the state to take responsibility in certain circumstances and PwD students who will have to take examinations physically will face greater difficulties as hostels are still closed and where will they stay on reaching Delhi and even proper transport is not available at the moment.
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The court told the varsity that it needs to have specific figures on PwD students and the facilities that are to be provided to them.
"The Delhi University is directed to verify the number of PwD students who would sit for physical examination and work out the modalities of their stay and transport etc," the bench said and asked it to file an affidavit in this regard.
The high court was hearing pleas by law student Prateek Sharma and National Federation of Blind seeking to set up effective mechanisms for visually impaired and other students with disabilities so that educational instructions can be given to them properly and teaching material is provided to them through online mode of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The online OBE for final year undergraduate students commenced from August 10 and will end on August 31.
