SC upholds HC’s verdict on PRIST degrees

Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Jan 13: The Supreme Court has dismissed the plea of Ponnaiyah Ramajayam Institute of Science and Technology (PRIST) University Tamil Nadu, challenging the verdict of Jammu and Kashmir High Court declaring the degrees of the university as invalid for Government Jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.
The university (PRIST) approached Apex Court by way of Special Leave Petition, challenging the verdict of Jammu and Kashmir High Court in which university’s degrees were held as invalid for obtaining Government jobs in Jammu and Kashmir.
“No ground for interference is made out in exercise of our jurisdiction under Article 136 of the Constitution of India. The special leave petition is accordingly dismissed. Pending application, if any, stands disposed of”, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Mohan M Shantanagoudar said after hearing a battery of lawyers on the issue.
In 2012 hundreds of candidates had approached the High Court with a prayer that State Government and Services Selection Board be directed to declare the degrees obtained by the candidates from the PRIST university as valid and genuine. However, the State High Court dismissed all the petitions of the aggrieved candidates.
The Government had maintained that for awarding M Ed and B Ed degrees, the PRIST University was to get permission from the National Council of Technical Education and SRE.
Government’s stand in opposition to these petitions was that in 2009, a committee, constituted by the Government of India to assess the educational standards, had recommended Government to derecognize the varsity.
The SSB had already rejected certificates by the PRIST University, maintaining that the degrees were not genuine and acceptable. Defending the SSB, State counsel had argued that the advertisement notice issued by the recruiting agency had mentioned that the degrees and diploma certificates obtained through distance mode of study centers, except from IGNOU, shall not be entertained unless the degrees or diplomas are recognized by the University of Kashmir, University of Jammu or the State Board of Technical Education.

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