Attendance Shortage Can’t Bar Law Students From Exams: Delhi HC Orders UGC Regulations Review [Read Order]
Delhi HC ruled that law students can’t be barred from exams for attendance shortage and directed UGC, BCI to review related rules.
Bar - law - attendance - taxscan
Bar - law - attendance - taxscan
In a recent ruling, the Delhi High Court held that law students cannot be barred from appearing in examinations solely because of attendance shortage and directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Bar Council of India (BCI) to review their attendance-related regulations to make them more flexible and fair.
The case arose from the Sushant Rohilla matter, where a third-year law student at Amity Law School, Delhi, died by suicide in 2016 after being debarred from exams for not meeting the required attendance.
The issue was later taken up as a public interest matter to address broader concerns related to attendance rules, mental health, and grievance redressal in educational institutions.
The petitioner’s counsel argued that rigid attendance requirements often ignore genuine personal or medical difficulties faced by students and that such strict enforcement can harm students’ education and mental well-being.
The petitioner’s counsel submitted that the attendance rules prescribed by universities and professional bodies need to be reviewed to ensure they do not cause undue hardship.
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The Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh observed that while attendance plays an important role in maintaining discipline, denying students the opportunity to appear for exams purely on numerical grounds can be harsh and contrary to the objective of education.
The court explained that every case must be considered on its own facts, and institutions should provide students with a fair opportunity to present valid reasons for short attendance.
The court directed the UGC to conduct a comprehensive review of its regulations on mandatory attendance for higher education institutions and asked the BCI to examine similar provisions in law colleges.
The court also pointed out that universities should ensure the presence of student grievance redressal committees and mental health counsellors to support students facing academic or personal stress.
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