Summary:
MUMBAI: Pune University has to shell out a penalty for failing to issue a duplicate marksheet to a student within the specified time limit.The student, Santosh Kisan Talole, had applied for a duplicate marksheet and degree certificate through the state’s online portal, ‘aaple sarkar’. Despite that, the university had delayed the service to the student, citing that his application should have been on the university’s website, thus affecting his prospects for a job which he could have bagged were it not for the delay, Kshatriya told TOI.A copy of the commissioner’s order states that the student had applied for the documents in August last year and had also submitted requisite documents and fees for the same through the ‘Aaple Sarkar’ portal. The university staff had insisted that he file his application separately through the university’s portal if he would the same.The state’s chief commissioner for Right to Services, Swadheen Kshatriya, has imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the office of Pune Unviersity’s assistant registrar (marksheets and degree certificates) for not providing the service within the stipulated time frame.The commissioner has contended that the state government has a clear policy that all government services be made available to applicants through a single portal called ‘aaple sarkar’. However, as no one at the university paid attention to his application, despite repeated reminders, the student approached the commission by mailing his complaint, after a delay of 58 days.During a hearing held before the commission in October, it was clear that despite the government directing the university to ensure quick delivery of service through the government portal, the university staff did not pay heed.Following the order, Kshatriya has written to the department of higher & technical education, asking it to direct all universities and their offices concerned to follow the government policy.During the hearing, it was revealed that out of 627 applications made to the university through the ‘aaple sarkar portal’, about 89% were pending..