Gujarat High Court Directs NID to Issue Marksheets to Student After Lengthy Legal Dispute
The Gujarat High Court has issued a significant directive to the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, ordering the premier design institute to provide marksheets and all related academic documents to a student who successfully completed a master's course. The student, Anjal Thottan, had been admitted to the New Media Design programme in 2021 under specific court orders, culminating a complex legal journey spanning several years.
Background of the Admission Case
The origins of this case trace back to 2021, when two students, Anjal Thottan and Suyash Tiwari, were denied admission under the general category at NID. At that time, four seats remained vacant across various reserved quotas, specifically:
- Two seats in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category
- One seat in the Scheduled Caste (SC) category
- One seat in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category
The students approached the Gujarat High Court, seeking the conversion of these unfilled reserved seats to accommodate them. The court initially ordered NID to grant both students provisional admission, with the stipulation that this arrangement was subject to the final outcome of the ongoing litigation. Subsequently, a division bench of the high court permitted this provisional admission to continue, allowing the students to pursue their studies while the legal matters were being resolved.
Completion of Studies and Subsequent Legal Challenge
Five years later, Anjal Thottan successfully completed the five-year Master's in New Media Design programme. In contrast, Suyash Tiwari is currently in the third year of his course. Despite his academic achievement, Thottan faced a new hurdle: NID was refusing to issue his marksheets and graduation certificate.
Thottan returned to the Gujarat High Court, filing a petition that highlighted NID's failure to provide the essential academic documents. He specifically sought directions for the issuance of his marksheets, graduation certificate, and all other documents typically given to students upon successful completion of their courses. His legal counsel argued forcefully that withholding these documents undermined the very purpose of clearing examinations from a prestigious institute like NID and could severely damage the student's professional prospects and career advancement.
High Court's Ruling and Rationale
During the proceedings, advocates representing NID and the concerned central government authorities opposed Thottan's demand for the marksheets. However, the high court noted in its order that these representatives "could not justify the resistance in providing the mark sheet to the present applicant."
After hearing the arguments, Justice Nirzar Desai delivered a clear verdict. The court directed NID to provide Thottan with his marksheets and all other relevant academic documents within a strict timeframe of 15 days. Importantly, the court emphasized that supplying these marksheets to the student "is not going to create any prejudice in favour of anyone." This statement underscores the court's view that issuing the documents would not unfairly advantage Thottan or disadvantage any other party involved in the broader litigation.
This ruling not only resolves a personal academic issue for Thottan but also sets a precedent regarding the obligations of educational institutions to provide necessary documentation to students who have legitimately completed their programmes, regardless of ongoing legal disputes over admission procedures.
