Rounding off percentages in academic evaluations to the nearest whole number is permissible and not equivalent to awarding grace marks, supported by precedents.

ORDER :

S.R. KRISHNA KUMAR, J.

In this petition, petitioner seeks for following reliefs :

“i) Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction to the respondent to consider the marks awarded to the petitioner for the examination in the discipline of MD in General Medicine, held in January 2025, conducted by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences by rounding off the marks from 49.25% to 50% as per the decision of this Hon’ble Court in W.P.No.6113/2025 vide Annexure-E and declare petitioner as “PASS”.

ii) Direct the respondent to issue fresh marks card after rounding off the marks from 49.25% to 50%.

iii) Grant such other relief/s that this Hon’ble Court may deem fit in the facts and circumstances of the matter.

2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioner and learned counsel for respondent No.1 – RGUHS and learned counsel for respondent No.2 – National Medical Council of India and perused the material on record.

3. A perusal of the material on record will indicate that after completing of his MBBS Degree, the petitioner joined Post Graduation Course in General Medicine in BGS Global Institute of Medical Sciences, Bengaluru, which is affiliated to the first respondent – RGUHS. In January 2025, the first respondent – RGUHS conducted Post Graduation examination, in which, the petitioner obtained 49.25% marks in theory paper. It is the specific contention of the petitioner that in the light of the judgment of this Court in the case of DR.K.SREE LAXMI V/S. RAJIV GANDHI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND ANOTHER in W.P.No.3438/2025 and Connected Matters dated 24.02.2025, this Court has come to the conclusion that the petitioner would be entitled to rounding off the percentage of marks of 49.25% obtained by her to be rounded off to 50% which would enable her to pass the examination. It is therefore submitted that present writ petition also deserves to be allowed and dispose of in terms of the aforesaid judgment in DR.K.SREE LAXMI’s case supra.

4. Per contra, learned counsel Smt. Mamatha G. Kulkarni, for respondent No.1 – RGUHS would reiterate the various contentions urged in the statement of objections and submits that there is no merit in the writ petition and the same is liable to be dismissed.

5. As rightly contended by the learned counsel for the petitioner, it is an undisputed fact as borne out from the material on record that the petitioner obtained 49.25% in the examinations taken by her in January-2025. The question / issue as to whether a student obtaining 49.25% / 49.50% / 49.75% in Post Graduation examinations conducted by the first respondent – RGUHS can be rounded off to 50% so as to enable a student to passing percentage of marks came up for consideration before this Court in DR.K.SREE LAXMI’s case supra, wherein it is held as under:

“ORAL ORDER

Since all these writ petitions involve common questions, the writ petitions are taken up together.

2. The petitioners are aggrieved by the conduct of the respondents in not rounding off the percentage to the next nearest number and not extending the benefit of rounding off to the petitioners.

3. In W.P.No.3438/2025, the petitioner is seeking an appropriate writ / order or direction:

“Declaring the Petitioner as “Pass” in the examination in the discipline of MD Pediatric examination conducted by RGUHS held in January 2025 by rounding off the marks from 49.75% to 50% as per the decision made by this Hon’ble court in W.P. No.11348/2020, W.A. 547/2021 & R.P. 384/2021 and as per the decision of Syndicate meeting held on 12-11-2020.”

In W.P.No.3443/2025, the petitioner is seeking an appropriate writ / order or direction:

“declaring the Petitioner as “Pass” in the examination in the discipline of MD General Medicine examination