College not returning my documents
manu
(Querist) 27 June 2015
This query is : Resolved
Sub: Need my documents back/ Harassment by college authorities.
After completing my graduation , I took admission in the year 2012 in MCA (Masters Of Computer Application) in a college which comes under Mumbai university. I have paid the full fees of 1st year in advance and had submitted my original documents in that college also but unfortunately after 1st year I was not keeping well (health related issues), and my mother was also diagnosed with severe abdominal infection. In order to take care of her , I had to give time to her. I told my college authorities about this but they were less concerned about all this. I also asked them to give my documents back as I want to discontinue but they did not gave it back. They always gave me false excuses like "no body is there at present in college to take up your issue and all"..."you need to talk to director".. I took my mother to our home place gujarat so that she can recover fast there as things are easy to manage here. I again appeared for entrance exams for PG course and got satisfied score also in the year 2014 but as I don't have my original documents with me . my one year got wasted. Till now I don't have my documents with me (which actually is the property of student). If I don't get my documents this year also , one more year will get wasted. I am in big trouble. Please tell me what to do now and how I can take my documents back from college??
P. Venu
(Expert) 28 June 2015
Your documents belong to you. No one, even your parents, cannot detain them. You can seek civil as well as criminal remedies. The matters could also be brought to the notice of the Human Rights Commission as well as Legal Services Authority.
Rajendra K Goyal
(Expert) 28 June 2015
Send registered letter with 4-5 weekly reminders for return. If no result lodge police complaint and civil case.
manu
(Querist) 28 June 2015
Thank you Shri.P Venu ji & Shri Rajendra k Goyal ji for giving early and fast reply. As suggested by Shri P Venu ji, I had sent email and lodge grievance to AICTE ( this is the authority which gives approval to colleges), PS to Hon'ble HRD minister, State education dept, National Human rights commission. As I know these are govt. offices and it make take some time to get reply from them, till then, I will also write letter to college authorities again as suggested by Shri Rajendra Goyal ji to return my documents. The question is here is till how much more time I should wait for getting reply from college?? and what would be my next step if they again fail to reply/return my documents??
Rajendra K Goyal
(Expert) 28 June 2015
Since college seems to be adamant, they may respond or may not respond at all.
Kumar Doab
(Expert) 28 June 2015
Hope you have narrated previous representations (by phone/emails/in person etc made to the Instt. and response given by the Instt and have mentioned names/date etc...............and you have the acknowledgment of having kept the originals.
There is no need to submit original testimonials. Attested Copies (by self/notary/gazetted officer and even OSV by competent official of the Instt) can be sufficient for any verification.
If all originals are to be seen then after seeing the originals these should be returned at once.
Escalate to VC and seen prompt action.
If required pursue thru RTI.
If the Instt/Univ do not respond you can proceed further under expert guidance of your lawyer and approach state/police/court of law...........
manu
(Querist) 28 June 2015
Thank you Shri Kumar doab ji for your reply and advice. Yes , I do have acknowledgement copy of original submission of my documents and me along with my father went to registrar office of the institute in which I was studying and told him about my problem but he treated us like as we are some aliens and created a scene as he was very busy. But still I asked him about my documents and then he replied that "there is no one in the office to take up my query". I don't have any proof in written that I had asked them about my documents. As a normal student I went to them and I asked them about my documents and I never have in my mind of keeping any kind of proof of the same. what I want was my original documents only.
manu
(Querist) 12 July 2015
I took the help of director of education department of the state government and I am very thankful to the director for helping me in this issue. But at the same time college authorities gave me threatning that they will also take action against me because I had approached higher authority. They told me that I should not have done this. I want to know should I remain silent or should take any action against college authorities?? What kind of harm they can do to me??
Kumar Doab
(Expert) 12 July 2015
Did you record the threats: audio/visual/minuted/witnessed?
If you have the evidence then you may show these to your lawyer ASAP.
