Lucknow University students move HC against varsity’s plan to hold exams amid pandemic

A group of Lucknow University students on Thursday moved the Allahabad High Court challenging the varsity’s plan to hold examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The petition, filed by one Jatin Katiyar and 22 other students of the varsity, has also demanded en masse promotion of students to next classes amid the COVID-disrupted academic session of the varsity.

The petition, challenging the varsity's June 19 & 23 notifications scheduling various examinations, has been listed for hearing by Justice Saurabh Lavania of the high court’s Lucknow bench on Friday.

In the petition, the students have argued that the examination controller has issued the schedule without going through the effect of COVID-19 due to which trains are not properly running, rendering varsity students, who had to return to their home towns and other far off places in the state amid the pandemic spread, unable to reach the city.

“The students will have to look for new accommodations and it would be almost impossible to maintain social distancing in hostels,” the petition said.

The petitioners also pleaded that three professors and some staff of the varsity were found coronavirus-infected and hence there would be a high risk of spread of infection in the campus.

The students also questioned the success of on-line classes by the university.

Citing examples of IIT, Kanpur and Delhi University and other institutions, the petition also sought the court direction to university to either promote students en masse to next classes or consider holding online examinations, keeping in consideration the availability of internet and laptop to the students.