Trace or rebuild file on college status: HC

Patna: Expressing concern over the plight of an institution awaiting recognition as a “constituent college” (directly controlled by the university administration) for the past 38 years, purportedly because the original file of the state govt granting such status is missing, the Patna high court directed the additional chief secretary (ACS) of the state’s education department to trace or reconstruct the file so that the govt can take a final decision within three months.A single bench of justice Harish Kumar passed the order while disposing of a writ petition filed by Jai Prakash Singh, a teacher at Dwarka Nath College in Masaurhi block of the state capital. The order was uploaded on the high court website on Feb 19.The petitioner’s counsel, Chakrapani, submitted that in 1987, 41 educational institutions, including the petitioner’s college in Masaurhi, were placed under active consideration of the state govt for grant of constituent college status.

While sanction was granted to 40 institutions, Dwarka Nath College was left out after the education department reported that the original file containing the state govt’s decision had been lost.In 2006, the process was initiated afresh to secure the long-awaited declaration of the college as a constituent institution. The matter received favourable consideration as it moved from the houses of the state legislature to the office of the advocate general and eventually reached the chief minister’s office, but it again came to a standstill due to the absence of the original file, which was reportedly lost by the department itself, Chakrapani added.Justice Kumar observed in his order that a college, along with its teaching and non-teaching staff, cannot be deprived of their rights due to lapses on the part of the state govt.