New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has permitted a second year B.Sc. student of Delhi University (DU) to switch to another institution, saying the college she was studying in should not have "any feelings of possessiveness in respect of a student".

Anika Jain, a B.Sc Computer Science (Honours) student in Keshav Mahavidyalaya, Pitampura, wanted to switch to the Hansraj College citing a residential problem.

But the college refused to issue her a No Objection Certificate (NOC), saying there were very few students in the course in the college and if the NOC was granted, it would directly impact on the grant it received from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Jain, in her petition, said she lives in Shahdara at her cousin's residence as her family stays at Agra.

Her counsel Ashok Aggarwal said: "Jain took admission in the college because that was near to her house when her family stayed in Delhi but since her father was transferred to Agra she had no option but to live with her cousin at Shahdara and commuting such a long distance was a troublesome thing for her."

Justice Vipin Sanghi directed the College to give the NOC at the earliest.

"No doubt, the petitioner has no vested right to seek migration. However, if a student is able to disclose good reasons for seeking migration, the college cannot act whimsically and seek to withhold the NOC in an arbitrary manner.

"The discretion to be exercised by the principal of the college while considering the application has to be exercised objectively and without any feeling of possessiveness in respect of a student, either on account of the fact that the student provides revenue to the college. The welfare of the student cannot be ignored and brushed aside and the principal cannot permit his vision to be blinded by the perceived welfare of his college," the judge said. IANS