Delhi HC directs government to set up panel to examine UGC-recognised engineering degrees to bring about parity

Updated on: Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Centre was asked by the Delhi High Court to set up a panel of experts to examine UGC-recognised engineering degrees in various streams to arrive at a parity among them to facilitate job seekers.

"We direct that a copy of this decision would be sent to the HRD Ministry secretary with a direction that the government would constitute a committee of experts in the field of technical education which would gather the course curriculum of all the technical (engineering) degrees recognised by the UGC and would accord equivalence...." said a bench of justices Pradeep Nandrajog and Manmohan Singh.

The court also directed the government to display the equivalent technical degrees on the websites of the University Grant Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry.

The court further directed the government to file a compliance report by April 9, next year.

"An affidavit would be filed by the HRD Ministry secretary disclosing the names of the members of the committee of experts and the task assigned to the committee..." it said.

The court was hearing a bunch of petitions from B Tech degree holders in various streams like Information Technology, Computer Science, Instrumentation and Control, Electronic and Instrumentation, and Electrical and Electronics engineering etc, seeking employment with Army against the vacancies advertised for B Techs in Electrical, Computer Science and Electronic and Instrumentation.

The applicants had come to the court saying that they were denied jobs by the Army despite their technical degrees being equivalent to the one required for the job.

Holding that the degree B Tech (Electrical and Electronics) is equivalent to the degree of B Tech (Electrical) and other similar degrees, the bench allowed the aspirants' plea and directed the government to give appointment to them in the Army after considering their degrees in technical subjects.

"Due to complete identity in the course curriculum of the degrees B Tech (Information Technology) and B Tech (Computer Science) and B Tech (Instrumentation and Control), B Tech (Electronic and Instrumentation) even the experts panel constituted by AICTE has opined equivalence, but regarding the B Tech (Electrical and Electronics) and B Tech (Electrical) degrees, though the experts have opined to the contrary, we find equivalence," the bench said.

The court further said the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force treated the two degrees as equivalent and so do all other public sector undertakings.

The bench, however, expressed its displeasure over the manner in which the experts from the AICTE and the Association of the Indian Universities had submitted their opinions to court over the issue of equivalence on various degrees.

"We are pained to state that the experts in the instant case have acted as mechanics and have not evidenced the use of the requisite knowledge, skill and expertise in discharge of their functions," the bench said.

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