Swarnendu Sarkhel v. Burdwan University And Others

25.11.2022 Item No. 11 Ct. No. 238 AKG WPA 25285 of 2022 Swardendu Sarkhel

Versus

Burdwan University & Ors.

Mr. Subhasis Sengupta, Mr. Nirmalya Chatterjee ...for the Petitioner Mr. N. C. Bihani, Mrs. P. B. Bihani, Mr. Soumyajit Ghosh ...for Burdwan University The petitioner was a B.Sc. (Computer) student of respondent no. 6, College. It is not in dispute that the petitioner has successfully completed the said Course in the year 2020.

The grievance of the petitioner is that despite completing the course successfully, the University has not was awarded him the certificate of the said degree course though he was provided with the marksheets of the said course.

Mr. Bihani, learned advocate appearing for the University submits that the degree can be conferred only in the convocation of the University and there was no convocation of the University for last two years due to the COVID-19 situation.

It has further been submitted by Mr. Bihani that the certificate of the petitioner is available on the on-line platform namely, DigiLocker, maintained by the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India and the

petitioner can very well download the said certificate from the said website. Mr. Bihani submits that digital certificate from DigiLocker is to be treated at par with the original physical document.

I, however, find substance in the grievance of the petitioner that he needs the original physical certificate to apply before the foreign Universities.

Though the convocation has not been held for last two years due to the COVID-19 situation, the petitioner cannot be deprived of his original certificate to facilitate his further higher study.

Accordingly, WPA 25285 of 2022 is disposed of with a direction upon the University to make over the original B.Sc. degree certificate to the petitioner within a period of one month from the date of communication of this order.

(Kausik Chanda, J.)