Home / Education / Bombay HC Dismisses Plea Over Attendance Rule
Bombay HC Dismisses Plea Over Attendance Rule
19 Jun
Summary
- Student debarred from final exams for insufficient attendance.
- High Court cited uniform attendance rules for all students.
- Medical condition cited, but court found no legal entitlement.
The Bombay High Court has denied a third-year Bachelor of Science student's petition to be allowed to sit for her final semester examinations. The student was debarred by her college for insufficient attendance, a decision upheld by the court on Tuesday. The student had cited a "clinically significant psychiatric condition" as the reason for her absence from classes.
Justices RI Chagla and Farhan Dubash acknowledged the student's medical difficulties but clarified that sympathy could not override legal requirements. The court observed that attendance regulations must apply uniformly, and any judicial relaxation in an individual case could set a precedent with wider implications. The student's lawyers argued her absence was due to a serious psychiatric disorder and that missing the exam would cause her to lose an academic year.
The university's counsel countered that the student's attendance was below 60% in five subjects. They also pointed out that the student had defended her thesis in person on April 13, and the argument about her parents' apprehension was raised for the first time in court. The university highlighted that 360 other students also faced debarment for similar reasons, making any relief unfair to them.
