Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld the decision of the Delhi University canceling the entire semester examination of the petitioner as she was found involved in cheating during the examination while hearing a plea filed by the student challenging the decision of the University.
A single judge presided by Justice Pratibha M. Singh of Delhi High Court while pronouncing a judgment through video conferencing stated that “Copying and cheating in examinations are like the Plague. It is a pandemic that can ruin society and the educational system of any country. If the same is left unchecked or if leniency is shown, the same can have a deleterious effect. For any country’s progress, the integrity of the educational system has to be infallible.”
The writ petition has been filed by a B.A. (Hons.) economic student from Daulat Ram College, the University of Delhi challenging the order of the University canceling the examination of the student for the entire semester. The student sought quashing of the order and direction to the University to declare her result.
The Student appearing in person submitted before the Court that she is currently in her 6th semester, on the date of the examination she was late for examination due to traffic. She further claimed that she had prepared notes for the examination, which were in the form of placards, and the said placards mistakenly stayed in her pouch. When she found out that the placards are in her pouch, she voluntarily called the invigilator and gave the same to the invigilator, despite her having voluntarily done so, the invigilator accused her of cheating.
On the earlier hearing the Court noted down in its hearing that “…she is a meritorious student and had scored 96.25% in her 12th standard examinations. Her aggregate in the previous semesters is above 60%. She thus appears to be a meritorious student. Admittedly she has not been given a hearing in the proceedings pursuant to the show-cause notice.”
Whereas, Advocate Mahender Rupal the Counsel appearing for the University submitted that “…the Petitioner has not disclosed the fact that she has admitted to having carried the notes for examination.”
Mr. Mahender further brought the attention of the court towards an expert report submitted by an independent expert from Sri Aurobindo College, who has compared the answer sheets along with the notes which were seized and have come to the conclusion that the material was used by the candidate in answering the paper.
India Legal Bureau