Law Student Defends Low Attendance Citing Medical Reasons: Meghalaya High Court Denies Permission To Sit In Exam Citing Mandate Of Law

The Meghalaya High Court yesterday declined to interfere with the Shillong Law College's decision to bar a student from taking End Semester Exams.

The student was declared ineligible to take the exam because his attendance fell below the benchmark attendance requirement of attending 70% of classes on all subjects taken together prescribed under the Rules of Legal Education, 2008. The petitioner-student attended only 60% of classes.

The petitioner claimed a deteriorated medical condition as the main reason for the shortfall in attendance as he underwent an operation in November 2024. He prayed for the Court's intervention in his prayer to sit in End Semester Exams.

However, the respondents argued that the petitioner having attended only 60% of all the classes, therefore as per the Rule, cannot be held to be eligible to take the Examinations.

Dismissing the petitioner's claim, the bench comprising Justice HS Thangkhiew observed as follows:

“A perusal of the same would show that for a student who fails to attend 70% of the classes held in any subject, the Dean or the Principal may allow the student to take the Test, if the student concerned attended at least 65% of the classes held in the subject concerned, and attended 70% of classes on all subjects taken together. The undisputed fact in the instant case, being that the student has only obtained 60% attendance, the operation of the said Rule has therefore rendered him ineligible to sit for the End Semester Exams.”

The Court said that it understands the predicament that the student suffered, however, due to the mandate of law, no relief can be forthcoming by way of the instant petition.

Accordingly, the petition was dismissed.

Appearance:

For the Petitioner(s) : Mr. P. Yobin, Adv. with Ms. B. Ramsiej, Adv.

For the Respondent(s) : Mr. S. Sen, Adv. (For R 1-3) Mr. S. Chakrawarty, Sr. Adv. with Mr. E. Laloo, Adv. (For R 4)

Case Title: Shri Bamang Nabam Versus North Eastern Hills University (NEHU) & Ors.

Click here to read/download the order