The Delhi High Court has extended till September 30 the time for students of Master of Dental Sciences Post Graduate Programme at the Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences (MAIDS) in the national capital to submit their thesis. However, the same will be subject to payment of late fee of Rs 5,000.
"Insofar as the students who have approached this court are concerned, considering the lockdown and the stress on all medical colleges and institutions and also considering that the original Executive Council's amendment had extended the time till October 15, 2020, this court is inclined to grant extension of time for submission of thesis till September 30, 2020," a single-judge bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh said.
The High Court was hearing a petition filed by the students of Master of Dental Sciences PG Programme at the MAIDS seeking directions to seeking extension of time for submitting their thesis claiming Delhi University had amended its ordinances relating to Post-Graduate (MDS) Studies course in July 2019 pertaining to the last date for submission of the thesis.
The court clarified that the same shall, however, be subject to payment of late fee of Rs 5,000 and those petitioners who are capable of submitting their thesis by July 31, 2020 would be permitted to do so without any late fee payment.
"Neither Delhi University nor MAIDS have been able to place on record proper documents to establish as to when the colleges and students were notified of the various changes in deadlines for submission of the thesis. Thus, one thing is clear that the last date for submission of the thesis has been muddled up and confusion has been created in the minds of students," the order said.
"Considering that there is enormous miscommunication between the authorities and the circulars were not adequately circulated amongst the students, this relief is being granted at the prima facie stage," the order said adding that the issues would be considered at the stage of final adjudication of the plea and listed the matter for further hearing on September 9.
Advocate Mohinder Rupal, counsel for Delhi University, submitted that MAIDS is a non-COVID hospital but counsel for the petitioner advocate Sarthak Maggon submitted that four out of the nine petitioners are on COVID duty.
( With inputs from ANI )