Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has ordered a private college to pay a compensation of Rs one lakh each to 29 engineering graduates for alleged failure to provide them grade sheets and degree certificates.
The OHRC also directed the college to issue a public apology in two prominent newspapers for the lapses.
“The respondent college shall pay compensation of Rs 1 lakh to each of the students/complainants for their mental agony, loss of career development, and financial loss caused due to the non-supply of grade sheets and degree certificates,” the commission said in its order.
This apart, more than 400 other students of the college, who suffered because of the same reason but did not approach the commission, will get Rs 20,000 each. If the compensation is not paid within 60 days, 12% interest per annum shall be accrued on the same until full payment is made.
The commission also asked the Odisha Skill Development and Technical Education department to seize the bank account of the institution and disburse the same to the complainants and other students who suffered due to the negligence if the college fails to comply within the deadline. The government was also asked to submit a compliance report within the 60-day deadline.
In 2022, the engineering graduates of the 2018-19 batch approached the OHRC because they were not issued the certificates and grade sheets by the college. The commission said the college principal appeared before it on July 25, 2022, but was not in a position to explain the reason for the non-issuance of certificates.
Sources said the college was supposed to get the certificates from Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) after depositing a fee, but apparently did not do so. During the hearing of the case in Aug 2022, the college deposited Rs 21 lakh with BPUT and got certificates for 158 students, 128 of whom who had passed in 2018 and 30 who had completed BTech/MTech in 2019. The other students received their certificates in two phases in 2023 and 2024.
College authorities were not immediately available for comment.