Delhi High Court Orders Law Schools: No Barring Students from Exams Over Attendance Shortage
The Delhi High Court ruled that law students cannot be barred from examinations or academic progression solely due to a shortage of minimum attendance, emphasizing mental health and the right to education over rigid norms. Colleges must instead implement supportive measures like extra classes or assignments. The Bar Council of India is directed to reform attendance requirements, and until then, the High Court’s interim orders apply nationwide.
In a landmark ruling, a bench of the Delhi High Court, comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma, has directed that no law student in India may be detained from taking semester exams or from progressing to the next semester solely because they lack minimum attendance. The decision arose from a suo motu case related to a law student’s suicide in 2016, with the court explicitly stating that academic penalties for attendance deficits cannot override a student’s mental health or right to life. The court highlighted the “debilitating impact” of stringent attendance rules and required educational institutions to adopt remedial measures—such as extra classes, home assignments, or practical legal work—instead of academic detention. Even if a student still falls short of attendance at the semester’s end, the only permitted academic consequence is a minor deduction (up to 5% in marks or 0.33 in CGPA). Promotion to the next semester cannot be withheld merely due to attendance shortages. The ruling aligns with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which advocates for flexibility and holistic learning. The court also instructed the Bar Council of India to comprehensively revise attendance norms for LL.B. programs, ensuring that co-curricular activities are credited. Until these reforms are implemented, the court’s interim directions remain in effect nationwide, ensuring that no law student in any recognized institution is excluded from exams or academic progress on attendance grounds alone.
