Bar Council of India allows a combination of online and physical exams
In May and June, BCI had released a circular stating that second and fourth-semester students pursuing the LLB course should be promoted based on a physical examination conducted within a month of the colleges reopening
Less than a week after a Maharashtra-based student activist group approached the Bar Council Of India (BCI) seeking clarity on whether promoting law students — except those in their final or sixth semester — to the next grade without a physical exam will be considered valid, the council has released another circular relaxing its stand.
A circular was released November 1, which stated BCI original decision which was passed believing that the Covid-19 pandemic will subside soon. “However, the pandemic still persists and therefore, the council has resolved that examinations of all intermediary along with final year exams may be held online if universities/colleges are able to do so,” it stated. It added that in the case of students who cannot appear or pass the exam due to any problem, they are given a chance to do so within a month of the physical reopening of colleges.
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In May and June, BCI had released a circular stating that second and fourth-semester students pursuing the three-year LLB course should be promoted based on a physical examination conducted within a month of the colleges reopening. However, all Maharashtra state universities have already promoted all students, except final year students, based on their previous semester performance.
The circular BCI released in May had clear directions that examinations of all students, except final year students, should be conducted within one month of reopening of colleges. Despite such clear directions, universities across Maharashtra decided to declare results of second and fourth-year students without conducting physical exams.
Students were concerned whether the promotion certificates approved by the state universities will be accepted and considered valid by the BCI in the future. This new circular has brought clarity and now the state universities need to accept the same.
A spokesperson for the University of Mumbai told Hindustan Times that the latest circular released by BCI will be studied and an appropriate decision will be taken in the matter soon.
Exams will be conducted for all LLB students, The notice was clear yet it caused a lot of confusion for the students and universities and it causes a lot of mess.
The Council has re-iterated that all students affected by pandemic who are promoted to the next year/semester, without their promotion getting affected and who are unable to appear in or having appeared is/are unable to clear any presently held (during a pandemic) offline/online exam and/or the physical exam to be preferably held within one month of physical re-opening of Universities/Colleges, shall also be provided with the opportunity to clear such papers, before the grant of a law degree, immediately, after the final year examination, without any penalization or prejudice being caused to them.
