Srinagar, Oct 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Higher Education Department has asked universities under its jurisdiction to furnish detailed information on their finances, admissions, staffing and grievance-redressal mechanisms in compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court of India in the case Ayesha Jain v. Amity University and Others.

In a communication, the department forwarded the Supreme Court’s record of proceedings to the Registrars of universities, directing them to provide the required information and supporting documents on priority.
The Supreme Court has sought audited reports for the preceding five years, including details of funds generated and utilised by universities, payments made to individuals who may not be directly involved in their functioning, and benefits received from Central and State Governments, including land allotments, relaxations under existing laws and other special privileges.
The information sought also covers admission procedures for every course, including the persons responsible for admissions, setting question papers, conducting examinations, evaluating answer sheets, handling funds and managing the affairs of institutions.
Universities have also been asked to disclose details of fees collected at admission and during courses, collections under different heads such as development funds and special-event charges, and the manner in which surplus funds are dealt with and invested.
The directions further require comprehensive information about teaching and non-teaching staff, including recruitment procedures, salaries and allowances, service conditions, allocation of classes and the arrangements made when classes are not taken by the assigned teachers.
The Supreme Court has also sought details of grievance-redressal committees, their composition, the nature of grievances handled, complaints received and their outcomes during the preceding three years.
The proceedings require the information to be duly verified and supported by relevant records and documents. The Court has also directed the Union Government and the concerned State and Union Territory governments to obtain information from universities and colleges and place the requisite material before it through affidavits.
The J&K Higher Education Department has asked the concerned institutions to treat the exercise as urgent and submit the information within the stipulated timeframe. The directions place emphasis on financial accountability, transparency in admissions and recruitment, and the functioning of university grievance-redressal systems.