The Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday (July 15) ordered interim stay on “final examinations” to be conducted by the Panjab University this month.
The direction by Justice Ritu Bahri came on a petition filed against Panjab University and other respondents by Yatin Mehta and other petitioners.
The petitioners were seeking the quashing of orders and notifications issued between May 26 and June 19, whereby final year students were directed to appear for their end-semester examinations.
He referred to the judgment passed by the Delhi High Court before contending that guidelines issued by University Grants Commission and the Ministries were unanimous that there was no compulsion on the varsity to conduct the final year examinations.
He further referred to another notification dated March 18 passed by Symbiosis International (Deemed University), whereby they had taken a decision not to conduct the final examinations. The students were to be given grades on pro-rata basis on their current semester’s internal continuous assessment.
“Keeping in view continuous increase in patients of COVID-19, there shall be an interim stay of final examinations in the month of July, 2020,” Justice Bahri concluded, before fixing July 23 as the next date of hearing.
– India Legal Bureau