Madras HC: Interim stay on UGC’s benchmark regulations

Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice P T Asha before whom a plea was moved by Annamalai University challenging the amended regulation, which fixed the CGPA as 3.26 on a four-point scale awarded by the National Assessment Accreditation Council (NAAC) for recognition, said “As a prima facie case is made out an interim stay for a period of six weeks.”

The plea contended that the university could impart open and distance learning till the academic session 2019-20 as per the accreditation.

The amendment had revised the eligibility grade to 3.26 on a four-point scale awarded by NAAC and rejected the recognition granted to the university on June 6, 2018 for the open and distance learning education, the plea said.

Stating that as per the impugned amendment of UGC all the universities in Tamil Nadu have been directly affected and the Principal Secretary of Higher Education Department has also written on April 07, to the UGC Chairman to reconsider the decision and permit the universities having NAAC grade “A” to continue their operation, the plea sought the court to declare the amended regulation as null and void.