Law students’ results continue to be in limbo

The Semester IV exam was first scheduled to be held in March 2020

Even as their results are ready, final year Law students cannot get their degrees as their fourth semester results have come under the scanner. This is because a new order issued by the Mumbai University wants the assessment redone in a new format.

This Semester IV exam that was to be held in March 2020 has been a reason of worries for the final year students ever since. Over a year later, it continues to keep them on the edge as the final exam of the degree is over and results are awaited.

"The earlier result declared based on the average scores of previous semester and internal evaluation is hereby withdrawn and will be replaced by the scores obtained in the aforesaid Assignment Based Evaluation (ABE). In each subject 2 assignments shall be submitted by the student for 50 marks and score obtained shall be extrapolated to the scale of 60 or 100 whichever is applicable," reads a circular issued by Vinod Patil, director of board of examinations and evaluation, Mumbai University (MU).

"This is insane. We will now be given topics for assignments by July 10. We will have to submit our assignments by the end of July and results will be out in August. By then, admissions of all major institutes of Law will be over, the deadline to apply for ‘Law practice approval' will be passed. So are we supposed to waste an entire year," complained a student.

The limbo started over a year ago when the Bar Council of India (BCI) took a stand against promoting students, stressing Law was a professional course. In a blended approach of internal assessment and online tests, Semester IV evaluation was completed and results were declared. But colleges didn't issue marksheets without any clarity from the varsity.

Last month when the process of issuing marksheets for Semester IV began, a new BCI circular added to the confusion. The circular dated June 10 read, "Universities can decide the way of assessment for this Semester IV evaluation." Affiliated colleges continued to wait to receive instructions from MU.

"And now a month later varsity asks colleges to hold a completely new assessments as per ABE format and declare new results, when we already have one result for semester IV and were just waiting for marksheets," said Akash Vedak, a student activist, adding that this delay means an immense loss to many whose journey ahead depends on the Law degree.

On June 18, mid-day had reported the denial of fourth semester marksheets by colleges for fear of the results being declared invalid. "Exactly, the same has happened. Some issued marksheets for Semester IV following students' demands and now as per varsity's new circular we are supposed to hold assessments in ABE format for the same exam," said a college principal requesting anonymity. "And all this confusion only because the varsity took almost a month to clarify its stand post a circular on Semester IV assessments by the BCI," shared a Law college faculty member.