HC seeks BCI's Reply regarding Attendance Relaxation in Delhi University

The Delhi High Court has asked the Bar Council of India (BCI) to explain the action they have taken regarding attendance relaxation in University of Delhi. According to reports, BCI has allegedly written to the Delhi University's Law Faculty asking them to relax attendance rules for more than 500 students due to the problems faced after demonetisation.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal questioned the move and asked the BCI to explain why they have asked the University of Delhi to relax the attendance rules. The bench also asked DU to explain its stand.

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Former Dean of Faculty of Law, S N Singh had appealed to the HC regarding the matter. He said that it was a deliberate violation of attendance and promotion rules by DU.

Singh asked the court to take the matter sympathetically on the grounds that the students will cover the shortage in their attendance in the next semester as this semester they have been facing a lot of difficulties due to currency ban. He also said that if the students fail to fulfill their attendance in the next semester, they shall not be allowed to sit for the exams.

He further added that BCI does not have the legal authority to send any directions regarding the relaxation of attendance norms. He also said that some of these students who did not fulfill the attendance requirement did not attend a single class but were still allowed to appear for the exams.

He asked the court to cancel the ongoing semester examinations for students who have not qualified the minimum attendance requirement. An inquiry will be done regarding all the irregularities that have been created by the university during the session 2015-16 and 2016-17.

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More than 500 law students of DU did not qualify the minimum attendance criteria prescribed by the BCI for the session 2015-16. However, these students were allowed to sit for the examination after BCI Secretary wrote to the university that they should consider the matter for relaxation of attendance rules.