A few weeks ago, Government Law College (GLC), Mumbai failed 270 students in the internal practical written tests. Out of those, 120 students are in their final year.

The college, as final year students say, had arbitrarily reduced the time duration of the exam from two hours to one hour and 30 minutes as soon as they [students] entered the examination hall on March 16.

Upon their request for conducting a re-examination, the college allegedly claimed that there is no such provision in the regulations laid out by the Mumbai University (MU).

In an open letter, the students alleged that the examinees were instructed to write their names on the answer sheets. The college, according to students, said that the papers without names shall not be evaluated.

According to The Hindu, Yuva Sena – the youth wing of Shiv Sena – sought an inquiry and strict action against Professor Shamim Dalvi for allegedly asking students to write their details on exam sheets.

“At the beginning of March, professor Shamim Dalvi had asked his students to write their names on the answer sheet if they wanted to clear their DPC [Drafting, Pleading and Conveyance] paper. When the exam was held on March 16, students were instructed again to do the same,” advocate Dharam Mishra of the Yuva Sena’s legal cell told The Hindu.

The students alleged that the principal questioned the intentions of the Yuva Sena and Byculla MLA Waris Pathan when they visited the college to appeal for a re-test on students’ behalf. She allegedly filed an FIR against Pathan.

Henceforth, on May 4, MU sent an email to the college, asking them to present facts and also directed them to take re-tests of the students detained, the Hindustan Times reported.

The college’s Principal Suvarna Keole, reverted with a letter saying that the MU issued the directive without hearing the college’s standpoint. She also said that they had already conducted a re-test, on April 26, for the students who were absent for “genuine” reasons.

One MU official, however, said that they had asked the college to present their side but that they didn’t do so.

For now, as the students say, the Principal has decided to stand firm on her position.

“The Principal has decided to not heed any orders passed by any authority including the Mumbai University, or heed any requests made by elected representatives including Education Minister Vinod Tawde or MLA Waris Pathan who have personally urged the principal to implement this rule form next year with prior intimation at the beginning of the academic year, and conduct a retest for these 270 students,” said students in the open letter.

The students, in the open letter, also detailed how some of them are undergoing a mental breakdown due to the “prolonged harassment” at the hands of the principal.

"If any student suffers any adverse health consequences or takes any untoward step owing to this constant humiliation and oppression the only person responsible for the same will be Mrs. Suvarna Keole"- @AUThackeray @TawdeVinod @PrakashJavdekar — Rise Up India (@RiseUpIndia3) May 8, 2019

According to students, the principal called the issue of the mental health “trivial” and something which doesn’t “merit her attention.” She also allegedly “ridiculed” the students’ state of mind.

The principal of the college was unavailable for comment when LiveWire contacted her. This copy shall be updated as and when she is available.

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