Delhi HC issues show cause notice to DU for non implementation of biometric attendance system for teachers

Updated on: Thursday, April 25, 2013

The Delhi High Court issued show-cause notice to Delhi University on a plea to initiate contempt proceedings against its officials for "failure" to implement biometric attendance system for teachers to ensure punctuality.

Justice S Sistani issued contempt notice to Vice Chancellor Dinesh Singh and Alka Sharma, registrar of the university, and sought their reply by August 7 on a plea filed by Indian Council of Legal Aid and Advice alleging failure to comply with the court order issued on September 19, last year.

In the contempt petition, advocate R K Saini appeared for the organisation and told the court that even after seven months, the DU has not acted upon the order passed by the division bench of the court to adopt biometric system.

On September 19, 2012, the division bench of the high court while dealing with a PIL passed the order by which the university was required to adopt the biometric system for attendance at earliest.

"As per the court order, the respondent (DU) was required to adopt the biometric system for attendance, as assured to this court, at earliest which means within a maximum period of three months, but they have failed to do so till date, even though a further period of four months has elapsed," the contempt petition said.

The university had assured the bench that it would "expeditiously" adopt and implement the biometric attendance system, and following the assurance, the court had disposed of the plea.

The PIL had sought introduction of the biometric system to register the attendance of lecturers and other teaching staff of the university.

The affidavit filed by the registrar of the university last year on the PIL said the University of Delhi "is committed to adopt and implement measures which are favourable and beneficial to the university system as a whole such as the biometric system of attendance for its teachers in order to ensure their presence in colleges and ensure the participation of all teachers in the teaching/learning process."

It added that the varsity was committed to implement the system in order to obviate chances of irregularity or mischief in maintaining correct record of attendance of each teacher, but sought cooperation from teachers in this regard.

The PIL had said that the attendance system should be introduced to ensure that a teacher "adheres to the teaching hours and days prescribed by the UGC (University Grants Commission) and the university rules".

It had also said that the UGC in its regulations in 2010 provided that "universities and colleges must adopt at least 180 working days, that means there should be minimum of 30 weeks of actual teaching".

The PIL had also said that as per the UGC norms, the workload of teachers should not be less than 40 hours a week for 180 teaching days, apart from being available for at least five hours daily in the college.

"The working hours actually being put in by a lecturer/assistant professor/teacher in the University daily are just about three and half hours," the petition had said.

The PIL had also said it seemed that the university was not implementing the biometric system under pressure from teacher unions.

Delhi HC issues show cause notice to DU for non implementation of biometric attendance system for teachers

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