Delhi University Faculty of Law students enter Day 8 of hunger strike over supplementary exam rule

Final-year law students at the Faculty of Law, Delhi University (DU) have entered the 8th day of their indefinite hunger strike against a rule that keeps them from clearing older exam backlogs during the supplementary examination window.

Before the rule was introduced in 2017, final-year students could clear papers from their 1st and 2nd year by taking them alongside the supplementary examinations held for 3rd year subjects. The rule confined the supplementary window strictly to 3rd year subjects.

Effectively, students with older backlogs must instead wait for 6-12 months for the next regular term-end examination.

A student who has cleared 29 of 30 subjects papers required for the degree must still wait out a full examination cycle to attempt the remaining one. This delays enrolment with State Bar Councils and eligibility to appear for the All India Bar Examination (AIBE). Speaking to Bar & Bench, a final-year student said,

"Most law universities offer supplementary exams for all semesters. Withholding degrees for 1 paper creates an arbitrary 1-year career gap, stalling our AIBE attempts and higher studies."

Protesting students are demanding a one-time special examination that would let final-year students clear backlogs from the first 4 terms alongside the ongoing 5th and 6th term supplementary exams. They are also demanding a broader review of 2017 amendment to treat the 3-year LL.B. programme as a single integrated course rather than assessing each term in isolation.

Suraj Gaikwad, a 3-year LL.B. student undertaking the hunger strike, said,

"We are on Day 8 of our indefinite hunger strike at Umang Bhawan because the administration refuses to hear our legitimate demands. Before, DU provided supplementary exams for 1st to 4th semester backlogs, but discontinuing this provision forces graduating students into an arbitrary 1-year career gap. We are losing crucial time for Bar Council enrollment, AIBE, and higher studies. We will continue our strike until an official notification for a special supplementary exam is issued."

Bar & Bench attempted to reach the institution's administration by phone on August 6. Calls to the numbers listed for the offices of the Dean as well as the Controller of Examinations did not connect.