ILS Law College attendance exam denial: Students move Bombay High Court
Students of ILS Law College were prevented from sitting semester exams after the college internally froze attendance on March 14, 2026 , the petitioners say. The petition challenging the action — and the university's refusal to condone attendance — is now before the Bombay High Court.
The petition was filed by students enrolled in both the five-year integrated law programme and the three-year LLB course. They say they crossed the 50% attendance threshold or had valid reasons for any shortfall, and that the college allowed them to complete exam formalities including filling online exam forms, paying semester fees and receiving university-issued hall tickets .
The students have challenged Savitribai Phule Pune University's refusal to condone their attendance shortage under Ordinance 70. The ordinance reportedly permits up to 20% relaxation in cases of illness or unavoidable circumstances, which the petitioners say should apply to them.
Why students say ILS Law College attendance exam denial was wrong
Petitioners argue the college applied an internal cut-off of March 14, 2026 even though the university had fixed April 30, 2026 as the semester end date. They say the early freeze skewed final attendance calculations and that no periodic warnings or timely notices were given about deficiencies.
Students add that being allowed to complete exam procedures created a reasonable expectation that their attendance issues had been regularised or condoned. They say several peers with similar attendance shortfalls received relief after recalculation, which the petition calls discriminatory treatment.
Court timeline: ILS Law College attendance exam denial petition
The matter was heard before a division bench on April 30, 2026 . The court listed the petition for the next hearing on May 4, 2026 . The petition asks the court to direct the university to apply Ordinance 70 and grant permission to appear in the examinations to affected students.
The students' plea notes they were orally informed in April that they would not be permitted to sit for exams despite having hall tickets. The petition seeks clarity on the application of attendance rules, recalculation practices and the basis for selective relief reportedly granted to some students.
Details such as the exact number of affected students, any formal response from the college or university, and the text of the petition have not been produced in court records published with the case listing. The May 4 hearing will determine interim relief and next steps.