Shed deprivation point model and adopt UGC rules, HC tells JNU

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is likely to lose a unique feature of its admission policy, the deprivation point model, after the Delhi High Court on Thursday ordered it to follow the 2016 University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines "without any deviation".

Under JNU's existing admission policy, the 'deprivation points' are given to students, especially to women from marginalised sectors.

These points are added to their exam scores in accordance with the approved admission policy.

The UGC guidelines do not have any mention of the deprivation point model and have recommended giving 100 percent importance to viva-voce marks.

Also, they set the entrance test as the only qualifying criteria for MPhil and PhD admissions.

"The binding nature of the said regulations is not dependent upon it being adopted or accepted by the respondent university or any other university in the country. The UGC guidelines are binding on the university by operation of law, i.e., UGC Act, 1956," the Court said.

However, JNU officials stated that the deprivation point model will continue for the undergraduate and masters' programmes.

Current students, who got admission in JNU on the basis of deprivation points, echoed the sentiments, saying: "The University would lose its essence if the diverse mix of caste, class, region and gender ceases to exist."

Earlier, after protests by students against the weightage given to viva-voce and written exams, the JNU administration negotiated and agreed for 80 percent weightage being given to written exam and 20 per cent to viva voce.