Final-year LLB students get zero or single-digit marks, raise re-evaluation issue with SPPU

Pramod Prabhu Chavhan, a final-year LLB student, cannot believe that he has scored a zero in the Land Laws part 2 semester examination paper

Pramod Prabhu Chavhan, a final-year LLB student, cannot believe that he has scored a zero in the Land Laws part 2 semester examination paper. Chavhan is not alone, for hundreds of students like him – studying in their final year LLB in colleges across Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts affiliated to the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) – have similarly got nil or very less marks in papers such as Land Laws, Administrative Laws, and Company Law. The students have been protesting since declaration of the results last week, and hundreds gathered at the SPPU examination department on Monday to raise the issue following which, a meeting was held with them by the SPPU pro vice chancellor professor Sanjeev Sonawane.

Students display marksheet at SPPU. (Shankar Narayan/HT PHOTO)

“It was our last year semester examination and so, we studied hard to score marks as offline written exams were held after a gap of two years. When we got the results, I was shocked as I got 0 marks out of 80 in the Land Laws part 2 paper. We complained to our college but nothing happened, so today we have all come to the SPPU examination department,” Chavhan said.

Another final-year LLB student, Sayalee Kurhade, said, “Most of us have written over 32 pages of answer sheets and still, we have got very less marks in different subjects. We have been told to get a photocopy of the answer sheet checked and then get a re-evaluation of the paper done which will cost more than Rs1,000 per paper. But it is a technical fault of the university as it is impossible to get 0 or single-digit marks if we have studied well and attempted all the questions.”

For this semester examination, the SPPU has declared the results through the ‘combined passing method’ wherein a student’s marks in any subject are calculated as a combination of the marks scored by him/her in practical, theory and internal of that subject as opposed to his/her marks in either of the three components by themselves. Whereas it is necessary for students to have appeared in all three examinations per subject in order to pass.

Mahesh Kakade, SPPU examination and evaluation department head, said, “As per the previous system of academic year 2017, the internal marks used to be scaled-down. But now, we have used the ‘combined passing method’ to declare the results. It was for the benefit of students in which all - theory, practical and internal marks - were added together. So, the university cannot be blamed for less marks scored by the students in the semester exams.”