We Demand to Revoke Arbitrary Imposition of 75% Mandatory Attendance for Semester Exams at Jamia Millia Islamia

Who is impacted?

Students of Jamia Millia Islamia are facing a sudden and unfair imposition of a 75% mandatory attendance requirement for semester examinations. This policy was abruptly announced on February 24, 2025, despite the semester having started on January 13, 2025—by which time nearly 25% of the academic session had already passed. This puts thousands of students especially those from marginalized backgrounds, commuters, students with health issues, and those engaged in research or academic work at risk of being barred from exams without prior notice.

Moreover, Jamia’s attendance system lacks all standards of proper record-keeping. It is not digitized, not centralized, and not transparent. Attendance is often marked on loose A4 sheets submitted to the department office, and in many cases, maintained or even manipulated by Class Representatives (CRs) or other students with vested interests. Shockingly, several faculty members do not take attendance in class at all and instead arbitrarily assign attendance later, based on personal discretion or bias. There is no official publication of consolidated attendance records, nor any process to challenge discrepancies or appeal unfair marking.

What is at stake?

This retroactive and non-transparent enforcement appears less like an academic measure and more like a disciplinary response to student dissent. On February 17, 2025, students across faculties participated in a mass class boycott in solidarity with 17 fellow students who were suspended after peacefully protesting on campus and being detained by police. In what appears to be retaliation, the administration swiftly introduced this harsh attendance mandate just days later. Such actions undermine democratic student rights, freedom of expression, and procedural fairness.

The Delhi High Court, in Courts On Its Own Motion In Re: Suicide ... vs ...... (August 21, 2024), has clearly ruled that universities should positively encourage attendance, not use it as a tool of punishment or control. Similarly, the Hon’ble Court in University of Delhi v. Vandana Kandari (2010 SCC OnLine Del 1424) emphasized that academic policies must be clear, fair, and prospective—not imposed mid-semester without due process.

Why is now the time to act?

Every week that passes under this unfair policy causes more harm. Many students have already accumulated absences before the rule was even announced, making it nearly impossible to meet the 75% mark now. This is not just a rule—it’s a threat to academic futures, mental health, and fundamental fairness. If we remain silent now, we allow academic institutions to bypass accountability and silence dissent through administrative force.

We urgently call upon the Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and concerned judicial authorities to:

• Withdraw the 75% attendance rule for the current semester, given its arbitrary and retrospective nature.
• Ensure any future attendance policies are introduced transparently, at the beginning of the semester, with student consultation.
• Digitize and centralize the attendance system, ensuring records are accessible and auditable, with a proper grievance mechanism in place.
  Sign this petition to demand fairness, transparency, and respect for students' rights at Jamia Millia Islamia.

Fraternity Movement Jamia Millia Islamia Sign this petition to demand fairness, transparency, and respect for students' rights at Jamia Millia Islamia.