No law student be barred from exams for attendance shortage: Delhi High Court

A bench of comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Amit Sharma observed that while the attendance rules are essential, they must not be enforced harshly to avoid psychological pressure on students.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday ruled that no law student in the country must be barred from appearing in examinations for shortage of attendance. The High Court in the verdict asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to review its existing attendance regulations for legal education and amed accordingly.

A bench of comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Amit Sharma observed that while the attendance rules are essential, they must not be enforced harshly to avoid psychological pressure on students.

The bench passed the verdict in a suo motu petition that was initiated by the Supreme Court regarding the death of law student Sushant Rohilla by suicide in 2016 after allegedly being barred from sitting for the semester exams due to shortage of requisite attendance.

The High Court observed, “Having heard at length the submission of all stakeholders in this case over the course of hearing and having considered the stark realities that have come to the surface, this court is strongly of the view that norms education in general and legal education in particular, cannot be made so stringent so as to lead to mental trauma, let alone death of a student.”

(...being updated)