In a significant interim ruling, the Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services) in Mohali has provided major relief to a law student. The adjudicating body has directed Amity University, Mohali, to permit an LLM student to appear for his semester examinations, setting aside the university's decision to debar him solely on the grounds of insufficient attendance.
The Court's Directive and the Student's Plight
The Lok Adalat passed an order instructing the university not to prevent the student from taking his exams and to issue a fresh admit card for him without any delay. This interim order was delivered in the case titled Application of Abhishek Malhotra vs Amity University, Mohali.
The petitioner, LLM student Abhishek Malhotra, had been barred from appearing in two of his first-semester papers: Intellectual Property Law and Practice and Insolvency and Bankruptcy. Following the court's directive, the university must now allow him to sit for these examinations, which are scheduled for December 19 and December 26, 2025, respectively.
University's Admission Assurance and Subsequent Action
According to the details presented in the petition, a critical point of contention was the timing of the student's admission. Abhishek Malhotra was admitted to the LLM programme on October 13, even though academic classes for the semester had commenced back in August.
The student contended that he paid the first-semester fee along with a refundable security deposit of Rs 20,000. He further stated that the university's admission team had assured him that the attendance shortfall for the period before his official enrollment would be condoned or overlooked. Despite this assurance, the university later enforced the mandatory 75% attendance norm and debarred him from the exams for failing to meet it.
Legal Reasoning and Future Proceedings
The Lok Adalat made a crucial observation in its ruling. It noted that the university admitted the student "knowing fully well that the attendance criteria could not be met" given the late admission date. The court held that the institution cannot benefit from its own lapse and then penalize the student for a situation it helped create.
In its order, the Lok Adalat relied on a precedent set by the Delhi High Court, which stated that "a student cannot be barred from appearing in examinations solely due to shortage of attendance." Beyond the exam permission, the petitioner has also sought compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the mental stress and loss of crucial academic time caused by the university's action.
The Lok Adalat has issued a notice to Amity University, Mohali, for the next hearing in this matter, which is slated for December 23, 2025.
