HC asks DU deptt to consider admission of blast victim's son

The Delhi High Court today asked Delhi University's School of Open Learning (SOL) to sympathetically consider the admission application of a youth, who had lost his father in the September 7, 2011 terror attack at the high court's gate.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also made it clear that this order was passed on exceptional circumstances and should not be treated as routine.
The court directed the SOL executive director to enable the youth to submit his admission appication for BA (prog) course saying it should be considered "sympathetically" while noting that the last date for admission was September 15.

"Considering the exceptional circumstances and that September 16 and 17 were holidays, we are of the view that Rishab Sharma deserves to be granted exception and should be permitted to apply for admission to BA course for the current academic year, if he applies within three days," it said.
The student had filed an application that he was facing difficulties in getting admission in BA (programme) in a regular college in Delhi University.
The court was informed by the counsel for the university that the matter has remained pending on account of securing admission for the youth in a regular college but it is not possible due to the cut off and even admissions have been closed on August 31.

Earlier, the youth's mother Sangeeta Ashok, whose husband was killed in the bomb blast, had informed the court that as per its order, the victims' children were to be rehabilitated but the university had denied admission to her son as she was not able to fill the form in a prescribed format.

The denial of admission had pushed her son into depression, she had said.
The woman had also informed the court that visitors were trampling upon the memorial plate carrying the names of those who had lost their lives in the blast.
This had prompted the acting chief justice to order their reinstallation with "full respect".

At the outset of the day's hearing, the court asked the woman if she has seen the memorial plate which has been put in place.
"Apne memorial dekh lia? Woh repair ho gaya hai (have you seen the memorial? It has been repaired)," ACJ Mittal said.
On the last date, the bench had assured the woman that when she comes to the court next time, she will not find the memorial lying in such a condition.
The court listed the matter for November 1 for filing of a report by the Delhi Legal Service Authority on the status of other victims of the terror attack.

The September 7, 2011 terror attack at the reception counter of the High Court that had claimed 17 lives and left 76 injured.
The high court's earlier order had come on plea filed by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, seeking court's direction to the government to ensure social security for the terror attack victims and their relatives.
Allowing the PIL, the high court had also asked the Centre to consider providing education to the victims' children and directed the Delhi government to provide jobs to eligible children of victims.