The Rajasthan High Court has directed the admission of a student to the Shri School Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya despite the student's failure to complete a full academic session in 3rd standard, a condition specified in the school's selection guidelines.

The student was unable to attend the full academic year in the 3rd standard due to the delayed start of the 2021-22 academic session, which was caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

A bench of Justice Vinit Kumar Mathur observed that the clause in the guidelines requiring students to pass 3rd, 4th, and 5th standards after completing one full academic session should be interpreted liberally in light of the exceptional circumstances brought on by the pandemic.

The Court said, “In the opinion of this Court, the interpretation of clause 4.4 has to be liberal and, therefore, in the present circumstances, the benefit needs to be extended to the petitioner, more particularly when he has completed his complete one year academic sessions in IV and V standards respectively. Therefore, this court is of the view that the ground for denial of admission by the respondents vide letter/order dated 05.09.2024 is arbitrary and unreasonable.”

The Court recognized that the pandemic was a global health crisis that led to significant disruptions, including delays in the academic calendar. The Court added, “The global health crisis, coupled with the widespread disruptions such as the closure of educational institutions, delays in admission processes and unforeseen challenges in meeting the academic deadlines constitutes a clear case of force majeure. These uncontrollable events prevented the petitioner from taking the classes of one full academic year in III standard.”

Therefore, the Court allowed the petition, instructing the school to admit the student and permit attendance in the classes without further delay.

Cause Title: Devendra Prajapat v. Union of India & Ors., [2024:RJ-JD:49301]

Appearance:

Petitioner: Advocate Naresh Singh

Respondent: Advocates Rajendra Katariya, Rajesh Choudhary

Click here to read/download Order


Rajasthan High CourtJustice Vinit Kumar Mathur

Suchita Shukla

Associate Editor

Suchita Shukla is an Associate Editor at Verdictum, with a strong foundation in legal research and writing, she brings over 4.5 years of experience to the table, having honed her skills in the dynamic field of law. She covers Supreme Court and High Courts. She completed her BA-LLB (Hons.) 5-year course with specialisation in Intellectual Property rights from Galgotias University. Since 2019, apart from having worked at a legal publishing house she has also ventured into legal journalism.