In a significant ruling, the Allahabad High Court has held that the right to appear in an examination is integral to the right to live with human dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. The court directed Rajju Bhaiya University to conduct a special examination within two weeks for a first-year BSc Biology student who was denied an admit card due to a technical glitch.
Justice Vivek Saran, in an order dated January 12, observed that the student was not at fault and that her academic future could not be compromised because of an error in updating records on the university’s portal. The court stressed that denial of an opportunity to write an examination, particularly when the student has fulfilled all required formalities, amounts to a violation of her fundamental rights.
The petitioner, Shreya Pandey, is a student of Urmila Devi PG College in Handia, affiliated with Rajju Bhaiya University. According to her petition, she had paid the required fees on July 16, 2025, and attended classes regularly. However, when the first semester examination schedule was released, she was denied an admit card.
The issue stemmed from a failure to update her admission records on the university’s “Samarth Portal” within the prescribed time. While her application was visible in draft form, it was never finalised on the system. The college administration informed the university that around 30 students were similarly affected. Eventually, records of 25 students were corrected, but not the petitioner’s.
Noting that the lapse was entirely technical and beyond the petitioner’s control, the High Court stated that her future should not be derailed due to administrative oversight. The court referred to the precedent set in Rahul Pandey v. Union of India (2025), which held that appearing in an examination is a fundamental right under Article 21.
“The right to appear in an examination is akin to the right to live with human dignity,” Justice Saran remarked, issuing a mandatory interim direction to the university to hold a special exam for the petitioner within two weeks. The university has also been directed to publish the result promptly, enabling the student to continue her studies without further delay.
The court further instructed the university to update the petitioner’s admission records within a reasonable time. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 10, 2026.
