Mumbai, May 18: The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed 751 students from Savitribai Phule Pune University to appear for their third and fourth-year examinations scheduled in May 2026, while clarifying that their results would remain subject to the final outcome of an ongoing petition challenging the “Carry On” system.
Petition challenges revised ‘Carry On’ policy
The main writ petition questions the legality of a Government Resolution issued on February 10, 2025, and University Circular No. 209, through which the State and the university reintroduced and expanded the “Carry On” policy.
Under the revised policy, engineering students were allowed to take provisional admission to the next academic year despite having backlogs from previous years, subject to certain conditions.
The petitioners have challenged this relaxation, contending that it diluted academic standards and was contrary to existing regulations.
Students allowed to appear for exams
A vacation bench of Justice Gautam Ankhad and Justice Sandesh Patil granted interim relief to students who had subsequently cleared their backlog papers after securing provisional admissions to higher academic years under the 2025 policy framework.
Advocate Pooja Thorat, representing some of the students, told the court that they had already attended lectures, practicals and other academic activities after taking provisional admissions in July 2025.
Their lawyers relied on earlier orders passed by coordinate benches granting similar relief to other students.
The interim applications were filed by students who had been admitted to third-year engineering despite having first-year backlogs and to fourth-year engineering despite second-year backlogs.
Court cites need to avoid academic prejudice
Opposing the pleas, advocate Uday Warunjikar, appearing for the original petitioner, argued that the applicants should file independent proceedings instead of intervening in the pending writ petition. He also pointed out that interim relief had earlier been declined in the main petition.
The university, however, submitted that previous court orders had permitted similarly placed students to continue under the “Carry On” system, subject to safeguards and the final outcome of the litigation.
The bench noted that the students had secured admissions “at a time when Circular No. 209 was operating and the benefit of the ‘Carry On’ system had already been extended to certain categories of students.”
Granting relief, the court said the applicants “deserve interim protection, so as to avoid academic prejudice at this stage.” It directed the university to accept their examination forms and permit them to appear for the examinations beginning May 20, 2026.
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The judges further directed colleges and the university to verify the students’ marksheets and eligibility credentials within 24 hours. The matter will next be heard on June 12 along with the main petition.
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