KOTTAYAM: An emergency syndicate meeting of M G University has withdrawn the controversial decision to award five marks as special moderation to BTech students. The meeting was held on Thursday following the instruction given by the government to review its earlier decision.

The government gave the instruction as there could be likely interference of the governor and the Assembly session will begin on Monday.

The above developments have come at a time when Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel is facing attack from the Opposition in the mark issue.

Meanwhile, the university has clarified in a press note that it was withdrawing the decision taken on April 30 to come out clean on the issue and after considering the future of students.

The Syndicate had decided on its own to award up to five marks to all those students who failed in one subject. The order, stating the Syndicate's decision to award up to five marks as moderation additionally to the existing moderation for students who lost only one subject in any of the semesters, was issued on May 17 based on an out of agenda (OA) item of the Syndicate meeting.

As many as 125 students have already cleared their certificates under the scheme while applications by about 84 students are still pending at the varsity. The varsity rule, they pointed out, mandated declaration of moderation before the announcement of results to avoid further issues.

It was also alleged that the student, who had submitted the application in the adalat, lived in the neighbourhood of a former Syndicate member and the member was very well known to the private secretary of the Education Minister.