In a pivotal decision announced on Monday, November 3, 2025, the Delhi High Court declared that law students across India must not be barred from taking their examinations simply because they haven’t met minimum attendance requirements.
The court issued a series of directives aimed at overhauling the mandatory attendance policies in law colleges, specifically instructing the Bar Council of India (BCI) to revise these regulations.
It further clarified that students cannot be prevented from advancing to the next semester class due to attendance shortages.
This significant order was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma. It came as they concluded a suo motu petition, originally initiated by the Supreme Court, concerning the tragic death of law student Sushant Rohilla in 2016. Rohilla had reportedly taken his own life after allegedly being denied permission to sit for his semester exams due to insufficient attendance.
During the verdict’s pronouncement, the bench underscored its belief, stating, “Having carefully considered the submissions from all stakeholders throughout the hearings and acknowledging the harsh realities that have emerged, this court firmly believes that educational norms, especially in legal education, should not be so rigid as to cause severe mental distress, let alone lead to a student’s death.”
Sushant Rohilla, a third-year law student at Amity, tragically ended his life at home in 2016. Reports indicated his college had prevented him from appearing for semester exams due to attendance issues. In a note, he expressed feelings of failure and a desire not to continue living.
The Supreme Court initiated the petition in September 2016 following Rohilla’s death, subsequently transferring it to the Delhi High Court in March 2017.
In its judgment, the High Court stressed the urgency for the Bar Council of India (BCI) to conduct comprehensive consultations with all relevant stakeholders, including student organizations, parents, and educators. This process is crucial to safeguard students’ lives and mental well-being, acknowledging the severe repercussions that strict attendance policies, leading to detention or exclusion from exams, can have.
The bench explicitly directed that “While these BCI consultations are ongoing, no student enrolled in any recognized law college, university, or institution in India shall be detained from taking examinations or hindered from pursuing further academic or career progression due to insufficient minimum attendance.”
Furthermore, the court clarified that no law institution should be allowed to enforce attendance rules that exceed the minimum percentages set by the BCI.
Regarding existing BCI-mandated attendance norms, all recognized law colleges, universities, and institutions offering three-year and five-year law degrees must immediately adopt proactive measures. These include providing weekly attendance notifications to students via an online portal or mobile app, sending monthly notices to parents and legal guardians about any attendance shortfalls, and offering supplementary physical or online classes for students who haven’t met the minimum attendance criteria.