S SUNEETHA Vs. ANDHRA UNIVERSITY

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The petitioner seeks a Writ of Mandamus or direction to declare the letter of the second respondent dated 01-08-1991 rescinding the earlier letter dated 19-07-1991 recommending awarding of rank to the petitioner, as illegal and arbitrary and for a consequential direction to Respondents 1 and 2 to award rank to the petitioner in M.A. (Industrial Relations and Personal Management) for the academic year 1988-90.

(2.) Mr. D.V. Seetharam Murthy the learned Counsel for the petitioner submits that petitioner joined M.A. in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management Course in the year 1988 in the first respondent Andhra University. The said course is of two years duration. Due to Anti-reservation agitation, the academic year of 1989-90 dragged on and final year examination could only be held in February, 1991. According to the Regulations and Syllabus relating to M.A. Degree examination in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management (IR & PM) 1990, the first year programme is divided into three categories (a) Field work observation visits (b) Concurrent field work within time (c) Industrial -II. It is submitted that Industrial field work could not be undertaken by the petitioner due to her suffering from Pyrexia and advised bed-rest from 6-12-1989 for a period of one month, though she had paid the necessary charges towards travel, accommodation etc. The medical certificate issued by the Assistant Professor of Gastro Enterology, King George Hospital, Vishakhapatnam, was submitted by her. As such, she was constrained to complete the Industrial Tour in the following year. 'C' Industrial Tour as per the Regulation is extracted hereunder: 1. Industrial Tour shall be conducted during holidays at the end of I year. It shall consist of minimum 10 visits to different types of industrial establishments in different sectors in India. In fixing the visits preference shall be given to such organisations which are not locally found such as planatations, Mines, etc. 2. After completion of the tour, every student shall submit a report to the Department. The report shall be in the candidate's handwriting.

(3.) A student shall be deemed to have fulfilled this requirement only after a satisfactory report given by the teachers accompanying the students based on the students participation in tour and the report submitted by the student. This is a non-credit requirement. 3. From the above, it is clear that Industrial Tour is a non-credit requirement and that no marks are awarded to a candidate for completion of the industrial Tour. This tour is conducted at the end of the first academic year during vacation. Later, the petitioner completed the tour and submitted report and her marks were evaluated and the petitioner secured 70.3% in the first year. Later, the petitioner secured 68.3% in the final year. Thus the petitioner stood first in the first and final years aggregating to 68.8%. The petitioner was awarded the Degree of M.A. First Class in IR & PM on 06-07-1991 by the first respondent- University, but to her surprise, no rank was given to her.