Patna: The Patna High Court on Friday ruled that students with less than 75% attendance will not be permitted to sit examinations, dismissing petitions filed by two B.Tech students from engineering colleges in Bihar.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice P.B. Bajanthari and Justice Alok Kumar Sinha heard petitions from Shubham Kumar, a Computer Science student at Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Engineering College in Begusarai, and Shashikesh Kumar, a Civil Engineering student at Darbhanga College of Engineering. Both were enrolled in the 2022–26 batch.
The court was informed that the petitioners had been barred from filling out their examination forms due to poor attendance, with records showing they had less than 50%. Despite repeated notices, they failed to rectify their attendance. The students argued that others with similar attendance were allowed to appear for exams, but the court dismissed allegations of discrimination, noting no evidence was presented to substantiate the claim.
The judges emphasised that the 75% attendance requirement is statutory and binding, and payment of fees does not grant students the inherent right to appear for exams. They further noted that no university official is authorised to grant exemptions from attendance requirements.
Citing earlier rulings by the High Court and Supreme Court, the bench stated that courts cannot compel universities to condone attendance shortages. “Compassionate statutory regulations cannot be overridden, and Article 14 does not permit negative equality,” the order stated.
One of the petitioners, Shashikesh Kumar, had sought relaxation on medical grounds, citing treatment for jaundice. However, the court held that attendance rules apply uniformly and cannot be waived.
