IPU agrees to law students' plea, allows them to appear for exams after full reopening

New delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday disposed of a PIL filed by 19 intermediary law students of colleges affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) challenging the latter's decision to hold physical exams after the University allowed them to reappear for the exams which shall be conducted after the college starts functioning properly.

The PIL filed by the students sought to set aside an order issued by GGSIPU dated September 30 which directed that examinations will take place in physical form with effect from November 2, claiming it to be a violation of the Unlock down guidelines laid down by the Central government and other exam conducting bodies.

The petitioners, represented by Senior Advocates Sudhanshu Batra and Jahnvi Sharma, further sought that if physical examinations are to be conducted, the same should take place "within a reasonable period upon restoration of the normal functioning of the University and colleges".

Advocate Batra, in his submission, argued that due to the spiraling cases of COVID-19 infection in Delhi, many of the intermediary law students have not been able to sit for the physical examinations and the University "ought to be called upon to offer another opportunity to the leftover students for them to take the examination on a subsequent date, for which a fresh schedule be declared".

Senior Advocate Parvinder Chauhan, on behalf of GGSIPU, had earlier argued that the petition is "rendered infructuous" as most of the examinations have already taken place as per the schedule and only a few more are left which will be concluded by next week.

However, citing an October 21 order issued by a Single Judge pertaining to a petition challenging the same notification, that allowed students to re-appear for the examinations once the University fully reopens, Advocate Chauhan said his client is willing to give the present petitioners the same concession.

"In view of the aforesaid submission, nothing further survives for adjudication in the present petition which is disposed of," a Division Bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad said while directing the University to issue a fresh notice informing the leftover students of the schedule of the examinations proposed to be conducted physically in the near future, at least four weeks before they take place.