Delhi University decides to hold fourth semester law exam after finals

Delhi University final year law students allege that two exams within a month will delay their final results. Representation pic

A decision taken by the Delhi University (DU) for its final year law students has come as a shock for them, as now they will have to appear for their fourth semester examination after the sixth and the final one. The students are a worried lot because this will delay the final results and in the process they would miss out on their LLM admission options elsewhere and the Bar Council of India (BCI) approval test, which would have let them start practicing law soon.

Students alleged that the decision was taken because the university did not get time over the past one year to conduct the semester four examination, which was postponed in May last year due to the lockdown. Now the students will not only have to appear for two semester exams within a month, they will also miss out on the BCI approval test and will have no option other than applying for LLM admission only in DU-affiliated colleges. According to the students, their counterparts from other universities and colleges were not facing the same issue, and hence they have written to the varsity regarding the same.

"We will lag behind in this competitive world for no fault of ours. Our fellow law students from other colleges and universities have already cleared the semester four exam even after it getting postponed last year," shared Ravi Chhikara, a DU student. He further said that a letter with signatures of 250 students had been sent to the varsity. A total of 1,300 students from the university are facing the problem. At the time of the first lockdown, the BCI had instructed all universities in the country to promote the students but conduct the semester four exam later. "Many universities and colleges held online tests or based their assessments on project work and assignments among all. But DU insisted on taking the exam. The unfortunate part is that the varsity did not get time to conduct the exam over the past one year and now we have to appear for it after the final exam," said a student requesting anonymity.

Speaking to mid-day about the issue, Siddhrath Ingle from Maharashtra Students' Union, said, "Mumbai University held all exams online, leaving no room for confusion, as assessment was unavoidable as per the BCI instructions. Even now many students are approaching the BCI and requesting them to rethink the evaluation pattern considering the pandemic."

Chhikara further said, "In DU too, exams will be held online, but the issue is that the varsity has delayed it a lot and now we have to appear for two semester exams in a month's time. Appearing for so many papers at a time is difficult for students. Moreover, this is likely to delay results affecting future plans." He added that DU should follow the example of other universities and think of alternative methods of assessment for the fourth semester.

Prof. (Dr.) Vandana, Dean of Faculty of Law and Head of the Department of Law, in an email response to the query sent in by mid-day, said, "The delay in exams pertains to the medical emergency and no one is at fault. It is a tough situation for all of us. We proceeded as per the directives of the BCI and scheduled the exams for May, but it had to be postponed due to the second wave. Our LLM exams have also got delayed as the BCI office is shut due to the pandemic. So, the chances of students getting left out are only the outcome of fearful thinking, maybe because of the times we are in. The interests of the students are our primary concern and we will protect that to the best of feasible extent."