Cannot take mobiles into exam hall: HC

The Bombay High Court, saying that it is “no minor lapse”, on Thursday directed the Mumbai University and academic institutions to ensure that students do not take mobile phones inside examination halls.

“Parents and students should know that no such device should be allowed in the examination hall and if any student is found with it, he/she may lose an academic year and invite severe punishment,” justices PB Majumdar and Amjad Sayed ruled.

Counsel for the university Rui Rodrigues told the court that all examination authorities inform students that mobile phones are not allowed in examination halls and directions are mentioned on hall tickets and the question and the answer sheets.

The judges insisted that “No mobile phones please” should be displayed outside examination halls in bold and parents should make sure that their children do not go to examination halls with their mobile phones. The judges, however, said such cases of cheating were unheard of about 10-15 years back.

DNA was first to report the case of Karuna (name changed), 19, a first year Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) student at SK Somaiya College, Vidyavihar, who had first moved court in June after she was debarred by her college for carrying a cell phone into the examination hall. Karuna, who was taking her second year examinations in March, took her ATKT paper after that. In her application, Karuna had said in her anxiety before her paper, she forgot to leave her cell phone, which was in the pocket of her jeans, before entering the examination hall. The Unfair Means Enquiry Committee (Umec) had declared her attempt to the paper as null and void. She had contended that the committee did not give her a hearing and the court passed an order in her favour on June 11 asking the Umec to hear her and take a decision.

Umec’s decision did not change. Karuna’s counsel Joaquim Reis said she gave the phone to the supervisor 10 minutes after the paper commenced, realising her mistake.
Advocate for the college KK Jadhav said the phone was confiscated by the supervisor and not surrendered by her.