Delhi HC slams Delhi University over ‘lapse’ in awarding medal

New Delhi: The Delhi high court has slammed Delhi University for committing a “serious lapse” in preparing the list of gold medal awardees in Sociology and directed it to give the gold medal to a former student who had secured the highest marks.

Justice Rekha Palli directed the Delhi University to immediately award the “Kunda Datar Gold Medal” to its 2012-2014 batch student Pratichi Majumdar, who had scored 999 out of 1,600 marks.

The high court said the varsity has failed to discharge its duties by depriving a meritorious student like the petitioner of the gold medal, which she deserved.

It also rejected the submission that Majumdar was not entitled to any relief as she has taken an “inordinate” time of eight months in approaching them to point out the error committed by the varsity.

“In my considered opinion, the said objection is wholly merit less in view of the facts of the present case, which reveals that the time of eight months taken by the petitioner to approach the Respondents for the necessary correction cannot be treated as laches on her part.

“Even otherwise, the respondents, having failed to discharge their duties in the manner expected of them, a meritorious student like the petitioner cannot be deprived of the gold medal which she deserves. For the aforesaid reasons, the writ petition is allowed and respondents (DU and others) are directed to immediately award the Kunda Datar Gold Medal to the petitioner,” the judge said. Majumdar was a student of Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University, who had passed the MA (Sociology) course from the Department of Sociology in August 2014.