Live Correspondent: The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) on Sunday fined two more private varsities Taka 10 lakh each for violating direction of University Grants Commission (UGC) over admission of students.

An apex court bench headed by Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order, asking International Islamic University Chittagong and Sylhet Metropolitan University to deposit the money to Bangladesh Bar Council.

“Students of the two varsities can only sit for the bar council enrollment exams by only showing the receipt of that deposited money.

The university authorities cannot realize the money from the students in anyway and have to pay for it from their own funds,” bar council lawyer SM Kafil Uddin told newsmen.

Authorities of these two universities enrolled students, more than the number fixed by the UGC for Law Department under each semester. As the students, after getting their degrees, tried to sit for bar council enrollment exams, they were barred, prompting them to file writs with the High Court.

The court in an interim order asked the Bar Council to allow them to sit for the enrollment exams. Bangladesh Bar Council later filed an appeal against the High Court order.

The court today came up with the order after holding hearing on the appeal petition filed by Bangladesh Bar Council against the High Court order.

Earlier the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court fined five universities including Southeast University, Eastern University, Bangladesh Islamia University and City University Taka 10 lakh each over the same matter.

Dhaka 23 February (campuslive24.com)//bic