Attendance shortfall: Law students get one-time Bombay HC nod to take exams for academic year 2025-26

I
a
huge
elief
to
stude ts
of
ILS
Law
college
i
Pu e
ba ed
f om
appea i g
fo
thei
semeste -e d
law
exams
fo
atte da ce
sho tfall,
Bombay
high
cou t
o
Mo day
pe mitted
them
to
appea
fo
the
exams.

MUMBAI:
I
a
huge
elief
to
stude ts
of
ILS
Law
college
i
Pu e
ba ed
f om
appea i g
fo
thei
semeste -e d
law
exams
i
the
academic
yea
2025-26
fo
atte da ce
sho tfall,
Bombay
high
cou t
o
Mo day
pe mitted
them
to
appea
fo
the
exams
as
a
“st ictly
o e-time
measu e’’.
Justices
Riyaz
Chagla
a d
Fa ha
Dubash
elied
o
a
ece t
July
21

Sup eme
Cou t
o de
that
pe mitted
stude ts
as
a
o e-time
elief
to
appea
fo
thei
exami atio s
i
the
academic
yea
20-26.The
HC
cla ified
that
its
elief
would
apply
to
all
simila ly
ba ed
stude ts
of
the
college
who
had
ot
filed
petitio s,
as
it
said
the
SC
o de
had
ca ved
out
simila
placed
stude ts
as
a
“p otected
class’’.
But
the
be ch
cla ified
its
o de
was
“co fi ed
to
the
academic
sessio
2025–26’’.The
HC
said
its
o de
ca ot
be
co st ued
as
diluti g
the
atte da ce
ules
fo
a y
othe
academic
sessio .
“Stude ts
pu sui g
legal
educatio
shall
co ti ue
to
emai
bou d
by
the
atte da ce
equi eme ts
othe wise
applicable
to
them,’’
the
be ch
said.The
HC
o de
came
i
a
batch
of
petitio s
filed
by
41
stude ts
pu sui g
diffe e t
yea s
of
the
3-yea
a d
5-yea
law
cou ses
co ducted
at
ILS,
Pu e
affiliated
to
the
Savit ibai
Phule
Pu e
U ive sity.

The
U ive sity
said
thei
atte da ce
was
twee
46
to
54
%
while
mi imum
atte da ce
was
75
%.The
petitio s
said
a
ea lie
70
%
ule
with
20
%
additio al
waive
ule
ought
to
apply
to
them
a d
also
cited
a
Novembe
3
2025
Delhi
HC
o de
to
a gue
thei
case.The
Delhi
HC
High
Cou t
di ected
that
o
stude t
e olled
i
a
ecog ised
law
college
i
I dia
should
be
detai ed
o
p eve ted
f om
appea i g
fo
exami atio s
o
f om
pu sui g
academic
p og essio
solely
o
accou t
of
sho tage
of
atte da ce.The
SC
the
stayed
the
Delhi
HC
o de ,
p ospectively
i
May.
But
i
July
p otected
stude ts
ac oss
colleges
agai st
a
lost
academic
yea
of
2025-26,
with
a
o e-time
ep ieve
to
appea
fo
the
fi al
exam
i
that
academic
yea
whe
the
Delhi
HC
o de
was
passed.
The
SC
o de
does
ot
p esc ibe
a y
mi imum
atte da ce
fo
the
p otected
class
of
last
academic
yea
stude t,
HC
oted.O
Mo day,
disposi g
of
the
batch
of
petitio s
the
Bombay
HC
cla ified
that
the
Delhi
HC
o de
did
ot
bi d
it,
but
the
July
SC
o de
did.Six
diffe e t
HCs
had
diffe ed
with
Delhi
HC.The
Pu e
U ive sity
a d
the
law
college
a gued
that
the
SC
o de
would
apply
o ly
to
fi al
exami atio
stude ts
of
the
3
yea
a d
5
yea
LLB
cou ses.
But
disag eei g,
the
HC
easo ed
a d
the
SC
mea t
“co cludi g
exam
fo
that
academic
sessio ’’
he ce
the
petitio e s
who
we e
stude ts
of
fi st,
seco d,
thi d-
o
fou th-yea
sta d
i cluded.

The
HC
said,
“A
stude t
studyi g
i
a
ea lie
yea
who
is
p eve ted
f om
appea i g
fo
the
semeste -e d
exami atio
may
equally
lose
the
academic
sessio
a d,
co seque tly,
be
u able
to
p og ess
to
the
succeedi g
academic
yea ’’
If
the
apex
cou t
“
i te ded
to
p otect
o ly
stude ts
i
the
fi al
yea
o
fi al
semeste
of
the
law
cou se,
it
could
eadily
have
said
so,’’
the
HC
explai ed.The
HC
cla ified
it
has
ot
dealt
with
the
co t ove sy
aised
by
the
stude ts
of
whethe
the
maximum
co do atio
of
20%
co templated
u de
O di a ce
70
was
equi ed
to
ope ate
upo
the
mi imum
atte da ce
equi eme t
of
70%
p esc ibed
u de
Rule
12
of
the
Legal
Educatio
Rules
o
upo
the
equi eme t
of
75%
p esc ibed
u de
O di a ce
68.
This
issue
is
left
ope .The
HC
had
ea lie
g a ted
i te im
p otectio
to
the
Petitio e s
who
appea ed
fo
thei
exami atio s
a d
co fi med
the
elief.
The
HC
di ected
the
U ive sity
to
co duct
suppleme ta y
exams
withi
4
weeks
fo
academic
yea
2025-26
fo
those
who
could
ot
appea .