Page 1005 - Compendium of UGC Regulations 1957-2023

Regulations pertaining to Student’s Grievance Redressal, Promotion of Equity, Anti-Ragging Measures, and
Prevention of Sexual Harassment etc.:

(ii) There shall be one or more part-time functionaries designated as Ombudspersons to
hear, and decide on, appeals preferred against the decisions of the SGRCs.
(iii) The Ombudsperson shall be a retired Vice-Chancellor or a retired Professor (who has
worked as Dean/HOD) and has 10 years’ experience as a Professor at State/Central
Universities/Institutions of National Importance/Deemed to be Universities or former
District Judge.

(iv) The Ombudsperson shall not, at the time of appointment, during one year before
appointment, or in the course of his/her tenure as Ombudsperson, be in conflict of
interest with the Institution where his/her personal relationship, professional affiliations
or financial interest may compromise or reasonably appear to compromise, the
independence of judgment towards the Institution.
(v) The Ombudsperson shall be appointed for a period of three years or until he/she attains
the age of 70 years, whichever is earlier, from the date of assuming office, and shall be
eligible for reappointment for another one term.
(vi) For conducting the hearings, the Ombudsperson shall be paid a sitting fee, per diem, in
accordance with the norms fixed by the respective university and shall, in addition, be
eligible for reimbursement of the expenditure incurred on conveyance.
(vii) The University may remove the Ombudsperson from office, on charges of proven
misconduct or misbehaviour.
(viii) No order of removal of Ombudsperson shall be made except after an inquiry made in
this regard by a person, not below the rank of a retired judge of the High Court in which
a reasonable opportunity of being heard is given to the Ombudsperson.
7. FUNCTIONS OF OMBUDSPERSON:
(i) The Ombudsperson shall hear appeals from an aggrieved student, only after the student
has availed all other remedies provided under these regulations.
(ii) While issues of malpractices in the conduct of examination or in the process of
evaluation may be referred to the Ombudsperson, no appeal or application for
revaluation or re-totalling of answer sheets from an examination, shall be entertained
by the Ombudsperson unless specific irregularity materially affecting the outcome or
specific instance of discrimination is indicated.

(iii) The Ombudsperson may avail assistance of any person, as amicus curiae, for hearing
complaints of alleged discrimination.

(iv) The Ombudsperson shall make all efforts to resolve the grievances within a period of
30 days of receiving the appeal from the aggrieved student(s).

8. PROCEDURE FOR REDRESSAL OF GRIEVANCES BY OMBUDSPERSONS AND
STUDENT GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL COMMITTEES:

(i) Each institution shall, within a period of three months from the date of issue of
this notification, have an online portal where any aggrieved student may submit an
application seeking redressal of grievance.

(ii) On receipt of an online complaint, the institution shall refer the complaint to the
appropriate Students’ Grievance Redressal Committee, along with its comments within
15 days of receipt of complaint on the online portal.
(iii) The Students’ Grievance Redressal Committee, as the case may be, shall fix a date for
hearing the complaint which shall be communicated to the institution and the aggrieved
student.

1004
UGC Regulations