SupremeToday Landscape Ad
Back
Next
Judicial Analysis Court Copy Headnote Facts Arguments Court observation
Listen Audio Icon Pause Audio Icon
judgment-img

1992 Supreme(Cal) 166

High Court Of Calcutta
BHAGAWATI PRASAD BANERJEE, ABANI MOHAN SINHA
UNIVERSITY OF CALCUTTA - Appellant
Versus
GOPA CHAKRABORTY - Respondent
F. M. A. T.  598  Of  1990
Decided On : 04/27/1992

Advocates Appeared:
BIMAL CHAKRAVARTY, HARASIT CHAKRABORTY, S.B.MAJMUDAR

The court has the power to interfere with the university's exercise of discretion if it is arbitrary, vague, fanciful, or not exercised in good faith.

Headnote:

EDUCATION - UNIVERSITY - MARKSHEET - RE-EXAMINATION - ERRONEOUS MARKING - DISCRETION OF UNIVERSITY - ARBITRARY EXERCISE - JUDICIAL REVIEW - COURT'S POWER TO INTERFERE - REASONABLE EXERCISE OF DISCRETION - COMPASSIONATE VIEW - SUFFERINGS AND HARASSMENT OF STUDENT - DELAY IN GETTING JUSTICE.

Fact of the Case:

A student appeared in B. A. II examination and received a mark sheet showing she had failed to obtain Honours due to low marks in four papers. She attempted to obtain permission for re-examination but was unsuccessful. She eventually filed a writ petition seeking re-examination of her answer scripts and a writ of Certiorari to produce the scripts before the court. The court directed the re-examination and subsequent proceedings led to the university being found to have lost one of the answer scripts.

Finding of the Court:

The court found that the university had acted arbitrarily and did not do justice to the student. It exercised its discretion in a fair and just manner to award minimum marks to enable the student to get Honours.

Issues: 1. Whether the university acted arbitrarily in exercising its discretion regarding the re-examination and marking of the student's answer scripts? 2. Whether the court has the power to interfere with the university's exercise of discretion? 3. Whether the court's interference in this case was justified?

Ratio Decidendi: 1. The university's discretion must be exercised reasonably and within the limits of its authority. 2. The court can interfere with the university's exercise of discretion if it is arbitrary, vague, fanciful, or not exercised in good faith. 3. In this case, the court's interference was justified as the university had acted arbitrarily and not done justice to the student.

Final Decision: The court dismissed the university's appeal and upheld the trial court's judgment.

A. M. SINHA, J.

( 1 ) THIS appeal is directed against the judgment and order passed by the learned single Judge on a writ application being C. O. No. 12153 (W) of 1984. The Writ petitioner as a student appeared in B. A. II examination (1981-82) with Honours in English from the Scottish Church College, conducted by the Calcutta University, appellant No. l. The result of such examination was published in the Gazette of 25/02/1983 with a remark "withheld". She received the mark-sheet after 3 months from the said college which shows that she obtained in paper Nos. V, VI, VII and VIII the Numbers 52, 30, 42 and 23 respectively totalling 147 which disqualified her from getting Honours. She was dissatisfied with the result shown in the mark-sheet and tried to get permission from the Pro-Vice Chancellor for re-examination of the papers. Having failed in her attempt in obtaining the same, she had to approach the Education Minister and obtain a form for re-examination which was ultimately submitted before the respondent on 27/05/1983. Despite her repeated letters and reminders, she failed to obtain any result of the re-examination. So, she was obliged to file the writ petition and she obtained a direction for immediate re-examination of all her answers scripts within six weeks from the date of communication of the order. She received the result of re-examination which shows that in English VI paper in which she obtained 30 marks was not at all changed and in respect of VIII paper the column of the marks was left blank. Thereupon she again approached the court for a writ of Mandamus for proper examination of the answers scripts and also for writ of Certiorari directing the respondent No. 1 to produce the answer scripts before the court and to declare her result. The court issued a direction accordingly on 29/05/1984. The matter was heard by the court which made certain queries and issued certain directives upon the respondents. But the learned Judge, P. K. Mukherjee, released the matter on the objection raised by the learned Advocate appearing for the respondents, the Calcutta University and ultimately the matter was heard by the Learned Judge Sri D. K. Basu who by his order dated 5/02/1990 allowed the application with all the prayers made by the writ petitioners.

( 2 ) THE learned Judge in allowing the writ application found that the appellant, University had lost the VI paper and they could not produce the same and as such the university should take a compassionate view. He further found that the writ petitioner should be given the benefit of average marks in paper VI and should get

47 marks instead of 30 which she was originally allotted and one mark should be added in paper VIII and all told 18 marks should be added to the total marks of 147 which she obtained in Part II examination and thus, making it 165 and by adding up these marks to the marks obtained by her in Part I examination which was 155 she should be allowed to get honours. The learned Judge also directed the appellant, university to issue revised marksheet qualifying the writ petitioner to be declared as passed with Honours in English within 4 weeks from the date of the orders. It was also directed that on compliance with the order within 4 weeks, the petitioner would be restrained from initiating any action for damage or compensation against the university. Being aggrieved by and dissatisfied with such judgment and order, appellant-university has come up in appeal before this court.

( 3 ) THE only point that falls for determination in this appeal is if the judgment and order passed by the learned single Judge could be sustained in law and in facts. Mr. S. Mukherjee, the learned Counsel representing the appellant, university of Calcutta, has urged that in terms of the resolution adopted by the Syndicate on item No. 30 of the minutes of the meeting dt. 31-3-84/26-4-84 the Vice Chancellor awarded 9 marks to the petitioner in which she originally obtained only 30 marks a






Click Here to Read the rest of this document

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Judicial Analysis

AI

SupremeToday Portrait Ad
supreme today icon
logo-black

An indispensable Tool for Legal Professionals, Endorsed by Various High Court and Judicial Officers

Please visit our Training & Support
Center or Contact Us for assistance

qr

Scan Me!

India’s Legal research and Law Firm App, Download now!

For Daily Legal Updates, Join us on :

whatsapp-icon Back to top