Students admitted until 2012-13 are entitled to Degree Certificates irrespective of completion date, as affirmed by past judicial rulings.

ORDER :

S.R.KRISHNA KUMAR, J.

In this petition, the petitioners seek the following reliefs:

i) Issue a writ in the nature of mandamus, directing the respondent to issue Degree Certificates to the petitioners forthwith, and;

ii) Direct the respondent No.1 University to verify the educational qualification of the Petitioners, as and when sought by the employers, and ;

iii) Grant such other relief/s as this Hon'ble Court deems fit to grant, in the facts and circumstances of the case including the costs, in the interest of justice and equity.

2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioners, learned counsel for the respondents and perused the material on record.

3. A perusal of the material on record will indicate that the petitioners were admitted to respondent No.1- Karnataka State Open University for Post Graduate Degree in M.A (Sanskrit) through academic collaborative institution and completed their final year M.A in the year 2014-15, pursuant to which the respondent No.1-KSOU issued provisional pass certificates in favour of the petitioners.

4. It is the grievance of the petitioners that though repeated requests were made by them to issue Marks card, Degree Certificate in favour of the petitioners, the respondent No.1-KSOU did not take any steps in this regard and as such the petitioners are before this Court seeking the aforesaid reliefs by placing reliance upon a judgment of this Court in the case of Suhas.M and Others Vs. Karnataka State Open University and Another in W.P.No.24293/2021 dated 17.08.2022

5. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondents submits that there is no merit in the petition and the same is liable to be dismissed.

6. A perusal of the material on record including the aforesaid judgment in Suhas's case supra will indicate that under identical circumstances, in relation to students who have joined the respondent No.1-KSOU up to the academic year 2012-2013, this Court held as under:

In this petition, the petitioners have sought for the following reliefs:-

“(i) Issue a writ in the nature of the mandamus, directing the respondent to issue marks cards and Degree Certificates to the petitioners forthwith, and ;

(ii) Issue a writ in the nature of mandamus, directing the respondent No.1 to conduct the examinations of various PG/UG courses to the students admitted up till 2012- 13 through collaborative institutions to enable them to complete their course, and;

(iii) Direct the respondent No.1 University to verify the educational qualifications of students admitted through collaborative institutions up till the academic year 2012- 13, as and when sought by the employers, and ;

(iv) Grant such other relief’s as this Hon’ble Court deems fit to grant, in the facts and circumstances of the case including the costs, in the interest of justice and equity.”

2. Heard learned counsel for the petitioners and learned counsel for the respondents and perused the material on record.

3. In addition to reiterating the various contentions urged in the Memorandum of Petition and referring to the material on record, learned counsel for the petitioners submit that despite the undisputed facts and circumstances including the directions issued by this Court in the earlier rounds of litigation in W.P.No.34255/2016, W.P.Nos.39131-160/2019 and W.P.11062/2020, the respondent No.1 – KSOU is not taking any steps to comply with the directions issued by this Court and as such, the petitioners are before this Court by way of the present petition.

4. Per contra, learned counsel for the respondent No.1 - KSOU invites my attention to the statement of objections and documents produced by it and submits that there is no merit in the petition and the same is liable to be dismissed.

5. The materi