Bombay High Court Allows ILS Law Students to Appear for Exams Despite Attendance Shortfall

 

The Bombay High Court has granted a one-time special exemption to students of ILS Law College, Pune, allowing them to appear for their semester-end examinations for the 2025-26 academic year despite falling short of the prescribed attendance requirement.

The decision was delivered by a Bench comprising Justices Riyaz Chagla and Farhan Dubash, which relied on a July 21 order of the Supreme Court granting similar relief to students affected by attendance-related restrictions.

The High Court made it clear that the relief is strictly limited to the 2025-26 academic session and will not change attendance requirements applicable to students in future academic years.

“Students pursuing legal education shall continue to remain bound by the attendance requirements otherwise applicable to them,” the Bench said.

41 ILS students had approached court

The case arose from a petition filed by 41 students enrolled in the three-year and five-year law programmes at ILS Law College, which is affiliated with Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).

According to the university, the students had attendance ranging between 46% and 54%, significantly below the minimum requirement of 75%.

The students argued that an earlier provision permitting a 20% relaxation from a 70% attendance requirement should apply to them. They relied on a November 3, 2025 order of the Delhi High Court concerning students who faced being barred from examinations because of attendance shortages.

Although the Supreme Court had subsequently stayed the Delhi High Court order, it later granted a one-time reprieve to students in various colleges, allowing them to appear for their final examinations for the 2025-26 academic year.

Relief extended beyond petitioners

The Bombay High Court said the Supreme Court had treated similarly situated students as a “protected class” and extended the benefit of the relief to all ILS students who were similarly affected, including those who had not filed individual petitions.

The Bench rejected arguments that the Supreme Court's order was intended only for final-year students. It observed that students in earlier years could also suffer serious academic consequences if they were prevented from taking examinations, including disruption to their progression through the course.

The court also clarified that it was not relying on the Delhi High Court's ruling as binding precedent. Instead, it was giving effect to the Supreme Court's directions.

Supplementary exams ordered

The High Court has further directed the university to conduct supplementary examinations within four weeks for students who were unable to appear for their 2025-26 examinations because of attendance-related restrictions.

The direction is intended to ensure that affected students receive an opportunity to complete their examinations and continue their academic progression.

However, the court stressed that the order should not be interpreted as a relaxation of attendance requirements generally.

The special permission applies only to the 2025-26 academic year, and law students will continue to be required to meet the applicable attendance standards in subsequent academic sessions.

The ruling provides immediate relief to affected ILS students while simultaneously reinforcing that the attendance requirements governing legal education remain applicable going forward.