Delhi HC seeks DU, Bhagini Nivedita College stand after student claims being marked 'F' due to negligence

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought responses from the Delhi University and a college after a plea claimed a student and her entire class was marked fail in an exam due to the negligence on the part of the teacher and her institution. Justice Vikas Mahajan issued notice to the Delhi University and Bhagini Nivedita College for a stand on the student's plea.

The plea has been filed by a final-year BA student from the college. She claimed of "arbitrarily and unjustly" being awarded an "F" grade in the practical exam of the subject titled "Children with Disability in India" in her sixth semester result for the academic session 2024–2025.

The petitioner claimed of appearing in theory, internal assessment and the external practical examination, which comprises practical file evaluation, viva voce and a written examination. She further claimed securing good marks in both the theory and internal practical components, but alleged due to the "negligence and mismanagement" on the part of the teacher concerned and the college administration, the marks for the external practical examination were not uploaded on the university portal.

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Entire class awarded 'F' grade

"Consequently, the entire class, including the petitioner, has been unjustly marked as 'fail' in the practical component of the said subject. Despite raising repeated complaints through emails and other modes to the college and university authorities, no corrective action has been taken till date," the plea, filed through advocate Ashu Bidhuri, said.

The teacher concerned and the college administration, the plea said, have been involved in mutual blame-shifting instead of resolving the error, leaving the petitioner and other similarly-affected students without redressal. The erroneous result has directly affected the student's overall CGPA and academic record, which may adversely impact her eligibility and prospects for higher education, competitive exams such as UGC-NET, and future academic pursuits, including PhD admissions, where academic grades are a crucial factor, the plea said.

As a result, the student urged the court to direct the authorities to incorporate the actual marks obtained in the practical examination and mention "pass" in the subject in question in a revised marksheet.