Comedy of errors in exam results at Dyal Singh college

What does a student do when the university that declared him failed provides a mark sheet that clearly states he has passed? Run around and try to get admitted into the third year of study, of course.

What does a student do when the university that declared him failed provides a mark sheet that clearly states he has passed? Run around and try to get admitted into the third year of study, of course.

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But for Shivam Mehan, a B.Com student at Dyal Singh College, none of that has made a difference. Mehan is among the hundreds of students who are running from pillar to post to get clarity on what is happening. In May this year, his name appeared in the list of students who did not fulfill attendance criteria to sit for exams, but with a difference. He was informed of this only after he had written his first examination.

But this is not where the story ends. Mehan approached the Delhi high court and got a stay on the university’s decision. After he appeared for the exams, the high court asked the university provide his result to them in a sealed envelope. This result stated that the student had failed but when Mehan got the copy of his mark sheet, it clearly stated that he had passed.

“The college and the university authorities have erred on so many counts here that we don’t even know what to bring up first. They gave me an admit card but refused to let me sit for the exams, which is against the rules. They then provided incorrect information to the high court. All I want is to complete my studies but the college is not promoting me to the second year,” Mehan says.

According to university guidelines, the names of the students who will not be allowed to sit for the exam have to be displayed five days before the start of the exams so that a student can point out any mistake in the tabulation. Also, a student who has low attendance should not be given an admit card at all.

But the Principal of Dyal Singh College, IS Bakshi has a clarification. “The point is not whether he passed or failed. All students have to secure at least 66% attendance to sit for exams. He did not have the requisite attendance and that’s why we can’t promote him. He was given the admit card before the dispersal of classes. It was provisional,” Singh said.

He, however, fails to explain why, when the classes were suspended on May 1, the students were informed only on the day of the examination that they would not be allowed to sit for exams.

For Mehan and many other students now the high court’s hearing on October 8 is the only thing they are looking forward to.