Repeater students allowed to take exams under original syllabus; University’s actions deemed arbitrary
In a significant ruling, the Karnataka High Court has quashed a circular issued by the Karnataka State Law University mandating repeater students to appear for examinations under a revised syllabus. The decision, delivered by Justice Ashok S. Kinagi, comes as a relief to students who were initially admitted under a different syllabus.
The case, titled Ananda Karegoneppara v. Karnataka State Law University, centered around the university’s directive requiring repeater students to take examinations in 'Labour and Industrial Law-I' and 'Labour and Industrial Law-II' instead of the original 'Labour Law-I' and 'Labour Law-II'. The court found this mandate to be arbitrary and not in alignment with the educational interests of the students.
The petitioners, represented by Senior Counsel Sri Sreevatsa and Advocate Sri Shashanka J Sreedhara, argued that the directive was unfair as the new subjects were neither part of the original curriculum nor taught to the students. The respondents, represented by Advocate Smt. Saritha Kulkarni, concurred with the disposal of the writ petition in terms of a previous order in the case of Sachin.R and Another v. Karnataka State Law University and Others.
Justice Kinagi emphasized that educational institutions cannot compel students to take exams in subjects that were not part of their original syllabus and were not taught to them. The court ordered the university to conduct exams for repeater students based on the original syllabus and accept examination fees accordingly.
This ruling underscores the importance of educational fairness and the rights of students to be evaluated on subjects they have been taught, maintaining consistency in their academic pursuits.
Bottom line:-
Educational institutions cannot enforce examinations on revised syllabus subjects for repeater students when the subjects were not part of their original syllabus and were not taught to them.
Statutory provision(s): Not specified in the judgment.
Ananda Karegoneppara v. Karnataka State Law University, (Karnataka) : Law Finder Doc id # 2931826
