The Bombay High Court on Monday granted significant relief to over 750 engineering students who claimed to have cleared their first- or second-year examinations. The court permitted them to appear for the third- and fourth-year exams, which are scheduled to begin on May 20.
Court’s Decision and Reasoning
The vacation bench comprising Justices Gautam Ankhad and Sandesh Patil allowed the students to sit for the examinations to prevent any prejudice. This decision was influenced by the fact that similar permission had already been granted to other similarly situated students in a previous order.
Arguments Presented
The students were represented by lawyer Pooja Thorat, who relied on an April order that provided interim relief to other students. Those students had taken provisional admission under a ‘carry on’ system with backlogs but later cleared them. Thorat also cited a Government Resolution dated February 10, 2025, and the ‘Carry on’ Circular issued by Savitribai Phule University in Pune.
On the other hand, Uday Warunjikar, counsel for a student who was denied interim relief last year, opposed the pleas. He argued that the students should file independent petitions rather than interim applications in a pending petition.
Background of the Case
The students’ case was based on the fact that they had attended lectures after obtaining provisional admissions and subsequently cleared their backlogs. A larger issue concerning the validity of the ‘Carry On’ system is still pending before the High Court.
About the Author
Swati Deshpande is a Senior Editor at The Times of India, Mumbai, where she has been covering courts for over a decade. She is passionate about law and works towards enlightening people about their statutory, legal, and fundamental rights. She makes it her job to decipher for the public the truth, be it in an intricate civil dispute or in a gruesome criminal case.
