The Delhi University approached the High Court here on Monday challenging a Single Judge’s order asking the law faculty members to conduct at least 139 hours of extra classes or tutorials, within eight weeks, for students who are desirous to attend the lectures to make up for attendance shortage.
The Single Judge had come down heavily on the Delhi University law teachers for “illegally” detaining around 500 students for lack of attendance and ordered holding of supplementary exams, saying it was a “failure” of the faculty.
Students’ reply
A Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Chander Shekhar issued notice to the students and sought their response on the university’s appeal against the order.
In its appeal, the varsity contended that the Single Judge in a July 6 order had totally ignored the fact that all the three law centres had already completed the course within the total number of lectures held.
“Rule 10 of the Bar Council of India Rules by no stretch of imagination can be interpreted to stipulate that additional classes should be held even though the entire syllabus of the course has been taught in the semester as per the time table and schedule followed by the law centre,” the order stated.
The university contended in the appeal that the Single Judge, by passing the judgment, had “over-stressed” the rule that 450 class hours have to be conducted irrespective of the fact that the syllabus for all the subjects for the respective semesters was already completed as planned.
It said no syllabus remained that might be taught to the detained students in these additional classes.
The Single Judge, while granting relief to the students, had said the shortfall of attendance was caused due to “failure of faculty of law to conduct minimum classes as prescribed under the Bar Council rules”.