Mumbai University finally gets a Rs 20 lakh slap for exam result goof-up

TYB Com student files writ petition in HC, seeking damages from varsity for making him lose a year and a chance to get a law degree by delaying results as well as losing his answer sheets

A 23-year-old TYBCom student filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court yesterday against Mumbai University, seeking Rs 20 lakh as damages, on the grounds that he lost a year and the chance to get his law degree because the varsity delayed declaring fifth and sixth-semester results as well as lost his answer sheets.

P Vivekanand

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Back-to-back goof-ups
"I lost a year for no fault of mine. Moreover, (with Mumbai University having lost his answer sheets) I'm not sure how the rechecking will be done. Hence, I moved court," said P Vivekanand, a Kandivli resident. His petition states that he had appeared for the CET from his hometown in Nanded on May 21 and scored well.

His lawyer Rameshwar Panchal told mid-day, "My client was anticipating TYBCom fifth and sixth-semester results by June-end, so that he could've started the procedure to secure his seat in one of the three law colleges that would've been allotted to him based on his CET score."

You can guess what happened next - the result wasn't on time. MU announced the sixth-semester results on September 21, without making any mention of the fifth. "My client cleared with good marks, but without the fifth-semester result, he couldn't take admission for law," added Panchal.

Also Read: Where Are The Results, Ask 11K Mumbai University Students

Later, through a media report, it was learnt that the university had lost/misplaced 1,600 BCom students' answer sheets and that they would be given marks on the basis of their average score, without any mention of how that would be calculated.

Panchal said that on October 5 Vivekananda received the fifth-semester scores, which were low and he had been failed in one subject with only 11 marks.

Then the question that arose, said Panchal, was if the university lost the answer sheets, and the petitioner, for no fault of his own, had to settle for average marks, does it (MU) have any moral or ethical, much less legal and constitutional, right to allot 11 marks. And, if yes, what is the logic and basis thereof.

When asked by when the matter would come up for hearing, Panchal said, "We are yet to get the date, but we are sure it will be heard soon."

Now what?
When contacted, a senior MU official said, "I am not aware of such a writ petition in the Bombay High Court. If at all it is true, we will read the petition and prepare our say accordingly. I won't be able to comment anything at this stage."

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