‘Goodness’ marks no more compulsory at Gujarat National Law University

Gujarat High Court slams provision, says it can be used as 'vendetta' tool by faculty members.

The Gujarat High Court on Wednesday ruled that students of Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) will no longer need to compulsorily obtain two marks for "goodness" before getting a hall-ticket for end-semester examinations.

The court observed that the provision can be used as a "vendetta" tool by faculty and turn the institute into a "circus".

According to GNLU's continuous examination and end-semester examination rules, "Only those students who have secured a minimum passing 40% marks in continuous evaluation and have obtained two marks in Goodness are eligible to appear in the end-semester examination."

Quashing this, Justice K S Jhaveri observed in his judgment that the rule can be "a tool in the hands of the Faculty Members, which could be used by them at their own whims and caprice".

"Such discretionary power in the hands of the Faculty Members would make the atmosphere of the College like a Circus where everything would be under the command and control of the Faculty Members and the students would refrain from sharing their point of view in the classroom with the fear that if their viewpoint annoys the Faculty Member, it would come against them at the time of awarding the marks," the court observed.

"Such discretionary power is against the spirit of education," Justice Jhaveri added.

The judgment was passed an a petition by nine students challenging various examination rules under which they were detained.

Further observing that university authorities "acted in a discriminatory and arbitrary manner by applying the examination rules differently to students of the same batch", Justice Jhaveri cited an example; "appears from the record that on June 23, 2012, the respondents had published a list of 58 students on the Website of the University who were detained from promotion to the next academic year.

... contd.

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