Delhi High Court Directs DU To Release Withheld Results Due To Attendance Shortage
The Delhi High Court has brought major relief to Delhi University Faculty of Law students after their examination results were withheld due to alleged attendance shortage. The case involves students from Campus Law Centre (CLC) and other law centres of DU who had completed examinations, but their results would not be declared because they did not meet the prescribed attendance requirement.
The court heard a batch of petitions filed by the final-year and senior semester LL.B. students who argued that they were unfairly penalised despite having written the exams and completed internal assessments.
Students were initially permitted to sit for semester exams either provisionally or after interim relief. However, Delhi University decided to withhold its results, citing a shortage of attendance.
Students told the court that attendance data had been applied mechanically without considering the realities of law education, including internships, moot courts, health issues, and disruptions from previous academic years.
The Delhi High Court examined whether attendance alone could justify withholding examination results after students had already written their papers.
The bench relied on its earlier rulings that lack of attendance, cannot become a ground to detain students or block academic progression once examinations are taken.
The Court ruled that withholding results in such cases are unjustified. It stated that once an attendance shortage is not treated as a valid reason for detention, all related consequences must follow, including declaration of results, promotion of next academic stage and continuation of studies in accordance with university rules.
