Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department has directed universities under its jurisdiction to furnish detailed information on their finances, admissions, staffing and grievance-redressal mechanisms, in compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in the case Ayesha Jain v. Amity University and Others.
In a communication to the Registrars of universities, the department forwarded the Supreme Court’s record of proceedings and asked for the required information and supporting documents on priority. The apex court has sought audited reports for the preceding five years, including details of funds generated and utilised, payments made to individuals who may not be directly involved in the functioning of the institutions, and benefits received from the Central and State Governments. These include land allotments, relaxations under existing laws and other special privileges.
The information sought also covers admission procedures for every course, including the persons responsible for admissions, setting question papers, conducting examinations, evaluating answer sheets, handling funds and managing the affairs of institutions. Universities have been asked to disclose fees collected at admission and during courses, collections under different heads such as development funds and special-event charges, and the manner in which surplus funds are handled and invested.
A comprehensive account of teaching and non-teaching staff has also been demanded. This covers recruitment procedures, salaries and allowances, service conditions, the allocation of classes and the arrangements made when classes are not taken by the assigned teachers. On the student side, the court has sought details of grievance-redressal committees, including their composition, the nature of grievances handled, complaints received and their outcomes during the preceding three years.
The proceedings require that all information be duly verified and backed by relevant records and documents. The Supreme Court has also directed the Union Government and the concerned State and Union Territory governments to obtain information from universities and colleges and to place the requisite material before it through affidavits. This means the exercise is not confined to private institutions named in the original litigation but extends to higher education institutions more broadly, including those in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Higher Education Department has asked the institutions to treat the exercise as urgent and submit the information within the stipulated timeframe. The directions place clear emphasis on financial accountability, transparency in admissions and recruitment, and the functioning of grievance-redressal systems. For universities in the Union Territory, the exercise will test the quality of their record keeping and their readiness to open key administrative and financial practices to judicial scrutiny.
