Bombay HC to Mumbai University: Provide Additional Answer Sheets to Students
- A lot of concern regarding provision of extra answer booklets for students appearing for Mumbai University exams has been doing the rounds after a plea was filed in the High Court.
- Court ordered that MU cannot restrict students from getting extra sheets.
The High Court of Bombay has directed the authorities of the University of Mumbai to provide additional answer sheets to the students appearing for undergraduate and postgraduate exams. A bench of Justices BP Colabawalla and BR Gavai clarified that the varsity should not prohibit the students from using additional answer sheets to complete the exam. It is the responsibility of the varsity to regulate the problems or glitches in the on-screen assessment system. Instead of resolving the issue, the varsity prohibited the students from using supplements during the exam. The Justices called the decision of MU ‘erroneous’. So far, several students have suffered due to the move of varsity.
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The bench further pointed that it had received several petitions against the prohibition of supplementary answer sheets during the exam. The petitioners claimed that they had lost the marks due to the varsity’s decision as they were unable to complete all the answers in the main booklet provided by the varsity. With the intervention of HC, MU has decided to award marks based on averages to such students. The bench rejected the argument of MU which stated that the main answer booklet was enough to answer all the questions.
The court stated that MU lacked ‘common knowledge’ in this regard. The handwriting of every student is different and they may or maybe be able to complete the answers in the main booklet. The analysis of answers by the students also matters in this regard, the bench noted.
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The court rejected MU’s claim that HC had no right to intervene in the matter and stated that it would deal with the argument of Mumbai University in the final hearing. The bench quoted that MU’s circular is just a piece of paper and it cannot become a piece of delegated legislation.