The Delhi High Court on Monday ruled that no law student in the country should be stopped from appearing for the examination merely because of their poor attendance. A bench of Justices Pratibha M Singh and Sharma said that academic policies in legal education cannot be so stringent that they harm the mental health of a student. The court was hearing a suo motu case initiated after the death of law student Sushant Rohilla in 2016. The bench said, after hearing the arguments of all the stakeholders in this matter in detail and considering the harsh realities that have emerged, this Court is firmly of the view that norm education in general and legal education in particular cannot be made so harsh as to cause mental trauma to a student, leave alone death.
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10 In August 2016, Sushant Rohilla, a third-year law student at Amity University, committed suicide after he was allegedly not allowed to appear for semester examinations due to poor attendance. He had left a note in which it was written that he was a failure and did not want to live. The Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the case in 2016 and later transferred it to the Delhi High Court in 2017.
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Delivering the judgement, the High Court said that the Bar Council of India (BCI) should expeditiously consult with stakeholders including student organizations, parents and teachers for the purpose of protecting the lives and mental health of students, keeping in mind the impact on students of delay or absence from examinations due to mandatory attendance requirements. The bench said, “While the consultation is going on by the BCI, in the meantime, it is directed that no student enrolled in any recognized law college, university or institution in India shall be debarred from taking the examination on the ground of lack of minimum attendance