Karnataka HC allows Bangalore University to hold BCom exams from today, stays reschedule order

NEW DELHI: Karnataka High Court has allowed Bangalore University to conduct the BCom exams for its first, third, and fifth semester exams from today. The high court stayed the interim order passed by a single bench asking the university to defer the exam to avoid clash with the CA Intermediate and Foundation.

On Sunday, the division bench of Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice MI Arun in a special sitting heard the appeal of the university, which questioned the single bench order. Later, the court permitted the university to conduct the BCom semester examinations on January 13, 15, 17, 19 and 21.

A writ petition was filed by five students seeking postponement of the Bangalore University BCom exams on January 9. However, the university started conducting the semester exams from January 6. The CA Intermediate exams are scheduled to be held between January 11 to 21 and CA Foundation January 2025 exams on January 12, 14, 16, and 18.

“It is further submitted that the re-scheduling of the examinations at the instance of only 5 students is detrimental to the interests of thousands of students, who are unrepresented and is completely unwarranted,” the university said in its appeal.

35,000 students to take BU BCom exams

Around 35,000 students will be appearing for the BCom exams conducted by the university and several more will be appearing for some of the papers which are common to other disciplines as well.

The high court said the Supreme Court in several decisions has specifically held that “it is not for the Constitutional Courts to consider the question as to the conduct of examinations and that would come within the realm of policy” and it is for the “university to consider when the examinations are to be conducted and whether they are to be scheduled taking note of other examinations being taken by the students also”.

“We are of the opinion that the direction to reschedule the examinations, that too, at the instance of five students, was not a proper exercise. We are therefore inclined to issue an order of stay of the interim order passed by the learned Single Judge dated January 10. The examinations scheduled to be conducted by the appellant on January 13 and thereafter shall proceed as scheduled,” the court said in its order. The matter will be next heard on January 15 for further consideration.