TPune University’s law department has come under the scrutiny of the Bombay High Court and the Bar Council of India (BCI).
In October, the court ordered an investigation into why the university had allowed 67 students to take LLB exams despite their class attendance rates falling below the university’s own requirements and the minimums set by the BCI.
The court became aware of the issue after five other students of the law school challenged in court a decision by the university not to allow them to sit their 2006 examinations on the grounds of poor attendance.
The students claimed that the university had relaxed its attendance rules to allow 67 other students with attendance rates of less than 26% to take the examination.
They argued that a further 37 students, who had even lower attendance rates, should also have been allowed to sit the exam.
The court rejected the case.
In its decision, the court argued that it could not allow one illegality on the basis of another.
It then went on to turn its attention to the university itself, which it found to be in violation of both its own requirements and industry standards.
The court found that the university had flouted its own rules and also the rules of the BCI, which prescribes minimum attendance of 53% for students to qualify to take exams, and directed the BCI to look into the matter and submit a report to the court.
