SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
V.D. TULZAPURKAR AND SABYASACHI MUKHARJI, JJ.
Abhijit Sen and others , Appellants
Versus
State of U.P. and others,Respondents.
Civil Appeals Nos. 4116 to 4119 of 1983
Decided on 6-12-1983.
U. P. State Universities Act, 1973 - Section 28 - Admission - M.B.B.S. course - Failed - Emerged on record in implementing and carrying out Multiple Choice Objective Type Test while holding a Combined Pre-Medical Test which was done pursuant to orders issued by State Government in that behalf under S. 28 of U. P. State Universities Act, 1973 by University for giving admission to 7-Medical Colleges in State, of Uttar Pradesh for session, have been pointed out, elaborately discussed and commented upon by this Court in its judgment dated and therefore it is unnecessary for Court to dilate on those aspects of matter again while disposing of instant appeals - Suffice it to say that Court has expressed therein a clear and categorical view that if Key-answer is shown to be demonstrably wrong - Counsel for respondents did not dispute before Court that if two appellants or either of them is found entitled to an addition of four marks as suggested on their behalf they will have to be given admission to MBBS course - Whether Key-answer supplied by paper setter was found to be wrong, not being in conformity with correct answer determined by Court - Whether scout bee or successful forager on return home would perform a round dance or a tail-wagging dance – Held, Court do not think that either of appellants is entitled to an addition of four marks as suggested by counsel on their behalf by reason of their answer given to Question No. 31 - Learned Authors one thing is very clear that range plays a very important part in deciding whether scout bee or successful forager on return home would perform a round dance or a tail-wagging dance and according to Gregory and Goldman if food is close by a round dance is performed and if food is farther than 100 yards a tail-wagging dance is performed whereas according to refinement given by Dr. Freser if food is located within 28 meters a round dance would be performed but if it is located at distance of 100 meters or more tail-wagging dance is performed - Question set by paper-setter makes no reference whatsoever to any range with reference to which candidate is called upon to give his answer to question and in absence of any reference to range according to aforesaid passages Alternative No. 4 would be correct answer and not Alternative No. 3 which had been supplied as Key-answer by paper-setter - Paper-setter where one of essential aspects namely, range has not been indicated anywhere in question - Placed in that situation appellant was right when she ticked Alternative No. 4 as being correct answer to question set - Appeal allowed.
JUDGMENT
TULZAPURKAR, J.:— Civil Appeals Nos. 4092-4115/83 (Kanpur University and Ors. v. Samir Gupta and Ors.) and Civil Appeal Nos. 4068-4091/83 (State of U. P. & Ors. v. Samir Gupta and Ors.) were disposed of by this court by its judgment dated Sept. 27, 1983 : (reported in AIR 1983 SC 1230). The instant appeals by four failed students though connected with the aforesaid appeals and arising out of a common judgment of the Allahabad High Court dated 24-2-1982 could not, for some reasons, be disposed of along with the aforesaid appeals and have been assigned to this Bench. The defects, that emerged on record in implementing and carrying out the Multiple Choice Objective Type Test while holding a Combined Pre-Medical Test which was done pursuant to the orders issued by the State Government in that behalf under S. 28 of the U. P. State Universities Act, 1973 by the Kanpur University in 1982 for giving admission to the 7-Medical Colleges in the State, of Uttar Pradesh for the 1933 session, have been pointed out, elaborately discussed and commented upon by this Court in its judgment dated September 27, 1983 and therefore it is unnecessary for us to dilate on those aspects of the matter again while disposing of the instant appeals. Suffice it to say that this Court has expressed therein a clear and categorical view that if the Key-answer (i. e. the answer which the paper-setter has supplied to the University as the correct answer and which has been fed into the Computer) is shown to be demonstrably wrong, that is to say, such as no reasonable body of men well versed in the particular subject would regard it as correct and if the answer given by a student is correct if regard be had to acknowledged text-books or books which the student was expected to read and consult before appearing for the test it would be unfair to penalise the student for not giving an answer which accords with the Key-answer that is to say with an answer which is demonstrated to be wrong. The contentions raised in the instant appeals will have to be considered within these parameters indicated in the judgment.
2. At the outset it may be stated that Civil Appeal No. 4116/83 (filed by Appellant Abhijit Sen) and Civil Appeal No. 4118/83 (filed by Appellant Satyandra Vikram Singh) were not pressed before us and have to be dismissed. Ku. Shivani Aggarwal and Kumari Sunita Khare (the appellants in Civil Appeals Nos. 4117 and 4119 of 1983) have challenged the Universitys decision (which decision has been upheld by the Allahabad High Court) of refusing them admission to the M.B.B.S. course in any of the seven Medical Colleges. Learned Counsel appearing for them contended that the Key-answer supplied by the Paper setter to question No. 31 in Zoology Paper (being Alternative No. 2) was wrong or incorrect and the answer given by both the appellants (by ticking Alternative No. 4) was the correct answer according to recognized text-books and therefore each one of these appellants was entitled to an addition of 4 marks (three marks for giving correct answer plus 1 mark which had been wrongly deducted by treating their answers as wrong) and if such addition of 4 marks was made each one was entitled to get admission. In the case of Kumari Sunita Khare (appellant in Civil Appeal No. 4119/93) her counsel raised a further similar contention with regard to Question No. 100 in Zoology-paper, as according to him the Key-answer supplied by the paper-setter (being Alternative No. 3) was clearly wrong or incorrect while the answer given by that appellant (by ticking Alternative No. 4) was the correct answer according to recognized text-books and therefore so far as she was concerned even if her contention with regard to Question No. 31 was not accepted she was entitled to addition of four marks (3 for giving correct answer plus 1 mark which was wrongly deducted by treating her answer as incorrect) in regard to Question No. 100 and even on this basis she would be entitled to get admiss
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