HC directs BCI to inquire into affairs of Pune University

Mumbai, Oct 29 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today directed the Bar Council of India (BCI) to inquire as to how the Pune University permitted 67 students to appear for the LLB examination by flouting its own statute and also in violation of norms, set by the BCI for minimum attendance.

A division bench comprising Justices J N Patel and Amjad Sayyad also directed the BCI to submit the report of the enquiry before the next date of hearing on the matter on November 26.

The alleged illegality came to light when five students of the prestigious ILS Law college in Pune moved the high court challenging the decision of the University not to allow them to appear for last year's examination due to lack of attendance. Last year, the University had relaxed a condition specifying the minimum required attendance and allowed 67 students, who had more than 25 percent attendace to their credit, to appear for the examination.

The petitioner students have contended that the university should have allowed the remaining 37 students aving less than 25 per cent attendance to appear for the examination also.

The court has already made it clear that the petitioner students would not get any relief in the case as it could not allow an illegality on the basis of another one. At the same time, the court found that the university had flouted its own rules and also the rules of the BCI which prescribes minimum attendance of 53 percent to appear for exams and directed the BCI to inquire into the matter and submit its report to the court.

UNI