BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court has come to the rescue of a student by directing the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) to assess his project work and award marks. It also said the student should be continued to keep the term by way of carry forward, disregarding the attendance shortage.
Justice Dixit Krishna Shripad passed the order on a petition filed by P B Hruday, the NLSIU student. He questioned the denial of admission to the 4th year BA LLB (Hons) on charges of alleged plagiarism of a project work.
He was also not allowed to take a Special Repeat Examination of third trimester in the third year. The judge said that what intrigues the court is the enormity of unfair treatment meted out by the University to the student. “It is anguishing that the university did not afford an opportunity of personal hearing, despite the student making a written request through mail on March 2, 2020.
It is high time that this university of national repute be reminded that it is dealing with our children and not others’ chattel,” the judge observed. The university counsel contended that it has shown leniency in not taking astringent action for plagiarism and its action in not awarding any mark to the project work cannot be faltered with.
The judge said it is difficult to agree with the university’s argument as the punitive action of not awarding any mark to the project work itself is founded on the wrongly assumed admission of guilt. “There is absolutely no material to show that the subject teacher having found the evidence of plagiarism had referred the matter to the UGC Chairman in writing and had sent a written intimation to the student who came to know of the alleged plagiarism only after enquiry with the Registrar of the university when his exam result was not announced. The act of the university constitutes a grave error apparent on the face of the record,” the judge noted.