Social Justice Ministry, NCBC seeks UoH response on discrimination allegations in OBC admissions

The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the National Commission of Backward Classes have written to the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hyderabad regarding the allegations of discrimination in the admissions of two OBC students. The Ministry and the NCBC have sent in eight questions to the VC and have sought a reply for the same. 

For the last two months, the University and the NCBC have been going back and forth on the admission of two candidates — Adduri Mukteshwar and Harshini Devi. The Ministry has asked the VC if the Dean had found any of Adduri’s research or publications to be fake as claimed by ‘frivolous complaints’. The VC has been asked to respond to whether the criteria or reasons mentioned for excluding the research paper or experience was mentioned in the admission notification 2020-2021. 

They demanded to know why Harshini Devi was not called in for an interview despite scoring 62 per cent in the written test, despite the cut-off being 45 per cent. The Ministry and the Commission demanded that the University send the action report on the letter that the NCBC had sent to the VC. They also asked the University the reason behind issuing show-cause notices to officer bearers of the staff union and if they had been issued under the Trade Union Act.

The Ministry and the NCBC have also asked the University if they are following all UGC regulations in their PhD admissions and if the roster has been formed as per the UGC Guidelines. The letter sternly states that if the response doesn’t reach the University, then action would be taken. The letter was issued based on a complaint filed by Kiran Kumar Gowd, President, All India OBC Students Association.