The Delhi High Court slammed Delhi University for awarding gold medal to the wrong student in MA Sociology 2014 batch.
Justice Rekha Palli directed Delhi University to immediately award the Kunda Datar Gold Medal to its 2012-2014 batch student Pratichi Majumdar who scored 999 out of 1600 marks.
“Even otherwise, the respondents, having failed to discharge their duties in the manner expected of them, a meritorious student like the petitioner cannot be deprived of the Gold Medal which she deserves. For the aforesaid reasons, the writ petition is allowed and respondents (DU and others) are directed to immediately award the Kunda Datar Gold Medal to the petitioner,” the judge said.
“In my considered opinion, the said objection is wholly merit less in view of the facts of the present case, which reveals that the time of eight months taken by the petitioner to approach the Respondents for the necessary correction cannot be treated as laches on her part.” the judge added.
Pratichi was a student of Delhi School of Economics,Delhi University, who had passed the MA (Sociology) course from the Department of Sociology in August 2014.
In her plea,Pratichi mentioned that the result of the 2014 MA Sociology was initially declared on 2nd June 2014 in which Sophia Zehra Abbas scored 977 out of 1,600 marks.The results of Pratichi and many others¬†showed ‘Result Later’
Later on 6th August 2014,the remaining results of students of the same batch were released, in which Pratichi scored 999 out of 1,600 marks.As per the results, Majumdar scored the highest marks in department but the Provisional Merit List which was released in February 2015 did not include her name.The annual convocation of DU was held on 30th May 2015, the gold medal for MA (Sociology) was awarded to Sophia, who was actually the 4th rank holder in department.
She made various representations in front of the University authorities but not go success.Her father received a latter from the University which mentioned that since no one raised any objection to the merit list published on 20th May 2015 the University was justified in awarding the medal to Sophia.
