Sibal, univ V-C bat for Unmukt

Manash Pratim Gohain TNN 

New Delhi: Help has arrived from the highest quarters for Unmukt Chand, captain of India’s World Cup-winning Under-19 cricket team who has failed in his second semester exam because of inadequate attendance. His college, St Stephen’s, had refused to allow Chand to appear for his first year BA exams as he did not have the minimum of 33.33% attendance mandatory for students under sports quota. 
    But Delhi University vicechancellor Dinesh Singh, who got a call from Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal, on Thursday said the matter would be resolved on priority. He said Chand would not be failed because of the issue. “I have asked St Stephen’s to immediately send his file. The varsity will take action to help him,” Singh said. As first reported in TOI’s Delhi edition, Chand, denied an admit card to take his exams, had moved the Delhi high court.  

Time wasted in Unmukt’s case, says Delhi Univ V-C 

New Delhi: Although Indian U-19 skipper Unmukt Chand had moved the Delhi high court over the denial of an admit card by St. Stephen’s College to take his exams, by the time the court directed the college to allow him to appear for the tests, Chand had already missed two of them. Also, since he did get internal assessment marks, he failed the exam. 
    While promising to speedily resolve the issue, the university administration pointed out that the decision to refuse Chand an admit card had been taken at college level. The V-C, Dinesh Singh, told TOI that had the matter been referred to the university at that time, things would not have come to such a pass. He added that the university would be revisiting policies related to attendance while introducing the four-year degree programme from2013-14. 
    “I have been away from Delhi, but after my return, I called up the college and spoke to the principal as well,” Singh said, adding, “A sportsperson who has achieved so much should not be made to suffer. The university will do everything to help him.” 
    Union HRD minister Kapil Sibal also called up St Stephen’s principal. When he was told that nothing much could be done, the minister called the V-C in the evening.

Source:::: The Times of India, 31-08-2012, p.1. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW