Another interesting article...from www. timesofindia.com

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> Supreme Court questions Jyotir Vigyan

>

>

> TIMES NEWS NETWORK

>

> NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the human

>resource

> development ministry and the University Grants Commission on a petition

> that says the government's decision to introduce astrology course in the

> university curriculum is "a giant leap backwards, undermining whatever

> scientific credibility the country has achieved so far".

>

> Seeking to quash the government decision to start degree and post-graduate

> courses in Vedic astrology called 'Jyotir Vigyan' in universities from

> this academic year, a group of scientists such as Dr P.M. Bhargava, Prof

> K. Subhash Chandra Reddy and Chandana Chakrabarti moved the apex court and

> termed the move as "highly irrational and illogical".

>

> A Bench comprising Justice S. Rajendra Babu and Justice Doraiswamy Raju

> issued the notices to the respondents on the petition challenging the

> Andhra Pradesh High Court order refusing to intervene in the matter.

>

> At its October 16, 2000, meeting, the UGC considered the proposal for

> setting up of departments of Vedic astrology in universities and decided

> to approve in principle the setting up of few departments in this course.

>

> The name 'Jyotir Vigyan' was given by the UGC to the astrology course on

> January 25, 2001. It had sent letters on February 23, 2001, to various

> universities, informing them that courses in 'Jyotir Vigyan' were to be

> introduced at graduate, post-graduate and research levels.

>

> Petitioners' counsel Prashant Bhushan said that the object behind starting

> of the course, as stated by the UGC, was that "Vedic astrology is not only

> one of the main subjects of our traditional and classical knowledge but

> this is the discipline, which lets us know the events happening in human

> life and in universe on time scale".

>

> The UGC had asked those universities desirous of starting a course to

> submit their proposal by March 15 this year. As many as 35 universities

> had applied by mid-April. The guidelines said that the UGC would provide a

> non-recurring grant of Rs 15 lakh to universities to establish these

> departments.

>

> "The expenditure thus to be incurred by the UGC for pursuing an untested

> and unproved subject of Vedic astrology will run into crores of rupees, to

> be borne out of the limited education budget of the government," Bhushan

> said.