On Monday, the Delhi High Court directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Education to initiate a stakeholder consultation on whether attendance should be made mandatory in undergraduate and postgraduate institutions nationwide.
“The Secretary, Ministry of Education, responsible for higher education, is to begin stakeholder consultations on the issue of mandatory attendance in UG and PG courses. The process should commence within two weeks,” stated a bench comprising Justices Prathiba Singh and Amit Sharma in their order.
The court’s decision stems from a petition initially taken up by the Supreme Court in 2016 after a student at Amity Law University allegedly committed suicide after being barred from exams due to insufficient attendance. The case was transferred to the High Court in March 2017.
The court issued notices to the Centre, the National Medical Commission, and the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), emphasizing that the younger generation views mandatory attendance differently from traditional educational norms.
During the hearing, counsel for the Bar Council of India (BCI) noted that while BCI rules mandate attendance, the council is open to reviewing these norms and presenting them to its legal education committee, which sets guidelines for law colleges.
Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, representing the Centre, stated that large-scale consultations would be needed with stakeholders, including regulatory bodies like the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE), and the National Council for Vocational Education and Training, as well as input from teachers and students.
UGC’s counsel mentioned that the new education policy allows certain relaxations and requested time to file a detailed affidavit. The National Medical Commission highlighted that while attendance requirements were relaxed during the pandemic, attendance remains mandatory for clinical training due to the nature of the medical profession.
The court also instructed the UGC and the Ministry of Education to issue a circular within two weeks, directing all educational institutions offering UG and PG courses to establish a grievance redressal mechanism.
Calling the student’s death “unfortunate” and a “systemic failure” on the part of the college, the court also asked Amity University’s counsel to provide instructions regarding ex gratia compensation for the deceased’s family. The next hearing is set for October 14.
