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Judgment
TRIBHUVAN DAHIYA, J.(ORAL)
The petitioner has approached this Court inter alia seeking a direction to the respondent University to award Shri Kartar Singh Chadda Gold Medal for standing first in LL.B. Examination conducted for the year 1996-97.
Learned counsel contended that the petitioner was admitted to LL.B. course in the University after passing B.Sc. (Medical) in the year 1994 and completed the course in 1997 by scoring 637 marks out of 900 marks in fifth and sixth semester of the course. However, the gold medal was awarded to respondent no.4 who scored 624 marks out of 900. His representation seeking the award of gold medal was not favourably considered, forcing him to file petition before this Court. It is further contended that the University’s decision not to award gold medal to the petitioner on the basis of Rule (ii) of the Punjab University Calendar, Volume III (1996) is wrong as the petitioner cleared every examination in the first attempt. Only because he remained absent in the first and a few examinations in the first semester, cannot disentitle him from award of the gold medal because it cannot be said that he attempted the examination more than once.
Learned counsel for the respondents, on the contrary, submit that the rule requires that the candidates have to take and pass every examination as a whole in first attempt which admittedly the petitioner failed to do. Accordingly, he cannot be held entitled to the award of gold medal.
Submissions made by learned counsel for the parties have been considered.
To decide the issue arising for consideration, it is apt to refer to the relevant Rules (i) and (ii) of the Calendar which read as under:
The following Rules shall govern the award of Medals and Prizes (University as well as endowed) unless otherwise specified in the terms of the award:
(i)Awards shall be made on the results of the annual examinations only. No award shall be made on the results of biannual examinations.
(ii)Only such candidates shall be entitled to an award as take and pass every examination (including semesters) as a whole at the first attempt and at one and the same sitting.
Apparently, the unequivocal requirement for award of medals and prizes to the candidates is that they must take every examination and pass it too as a whole in first attempt. The words ‘as a whole’ mean the annual semester examination as such, and not single/separate examination of different subjects. It is conceded position on record that in the first semester examination in December 1994, the petitioner remained absent in three out of five examinations and in December 1995, when he again appeared for the first semester examination, he remained absent in two out of five examinations which he cleared later in May, 1996. Accordingly, the mandatory requirement of taking and clearing the semester examination as a whole in first attempt was not met by the petitioner which disentitled him to award of the gold medal.
Dismissed.