RANJEEV BANGA Vs. PRINCIPAL PUNJAB ENGINEERING COLLEGE

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE petitioner was admitted in the 1st Semester for Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) i. e. Under-Graduate Engineering Course in the Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, for the year 1991, from the reserved category of Scheduled Castes candidates. Unfortunately, the petitioner failed to complete the requisite lectures as he suffered from urine retention in the month of October, 1991 and remained under treatment till August, 1992 The petitioner had under-went several operations in the Post Graduate Institute, Chandigarh The petitioner was discharged from the hospital on 12-2-1992, with the direction to continue the follow-up treatment. Again, on 6-5-1992, another operation was performed upon the petitioner.

(2.) ON 21-2-1992. the College Authorities displayed a notice (Annexure P-3) on the Notice Board showing the petitioner as well as other student detained from appearing in the 1st Semester (Annual Session) Examination. In the said notice, the petitioner was depicted to have fallen short of lectures in the five subjects while another student, namely Ajay Pal Singh was found short in lectures in nine subjects. The petitioner contends that as per Regulation 7 of the Punjab University Regulations, if a candidate does not fulfill the attendance required in any subject, he will have to repeat the course of instruction in that subject, while Regulation 8 prescribes that such candidate shall be allowed to join the second Semester upto fourth Semester if he had undergone a regular course of studies without even passing any of those Semesters. Thus, the petitioner contends that a student, who gets admission to Under Graduate Engineering Course i. e Bachelor of Engineering he will complete his course of four years irrespective of his clearing each semester. The petitioner had fallen short of requisite lectures in five subjects only He could be asked to repeat the subjects in those subjects of the first Semester which started w. e. f. 12. 8. 1991 and ended on 12 1. 1992 while the second Semester course started on 24. 3. 1992.

(3.) ON the other hand, the respondent vide Memo No 5826 dated 30. 3. 1992 (Annexure P-4) issued show cause notice to the petitioner as to why he was found absent from the College and did not submit the examination form to appear in the first Semester held in March, 1992. The petitioner was also called upon to show cause as why his name should not be removed from the College rolls.