Mumbai: The Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the ruling Shiv Sena, is exploring options to approach the Supreme Court to challenge the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines to conduct examinations for higher education courses. The UGC directive has met with much criticism and confusion since it has come after Maharashtra had already cancelled the exams of non-professional courses and demanded Center to cancel exams of professional courses like those of Law, Pharmacy, Hotel Management, Architecture etc. Over ten lakh students are affected by this decision in the state.
Speaking to thenews21, secretary of Yuva Sena, Varun Sardesai said: “It’s a complicated legal issue. While Maharashtra had invoked the provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the Center is invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. The jury is still out on which Act supersedes which one. The UGC’s directives too had been conflicting; first it termed them as mere guidelines but now it termed them as binding”. He also stated that the seven other states too, had followed the path of Maharashtra in cancelling exams in their states and the issue impacted them all.
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The Yuva Sena said that they are also working in tandem with the Maharashtra government on this issue. Sardesai’s views assume importance because he heads the youth wing that is the brainchild of Sena scion Aditya Thackeray and it has pursued this issue quite aggressively. Sardesai stated that the students need not panic as “the state had assured students that they would stand with them” through it all.
The Yuva Sena’s petition on change.org seeking cancellation of examinations has already received support from over 16 lakh signatories within a day of being uploaded.
