In the context of the pandemic, Depression was witnessed to be a serious illness and the Gujarat High Court has taken a very close look at this when an engineering student was denied admission by a government college for not appearing in the exam due to depression and suicidal thoughts.
The High Court issued the order on August 31 and a copy was made available on Thursday.
In October 2020, the Academic Performance Review Committee of Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology, Surat, canceled the admission of a first-year B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) student for failing to earn 25 credits for the next semester.
The student filed a petition in the High Court on the grounds that he was suffering from severe depression with suicidal ideation, which started in January 2020 and increased in May-June last year due to Covid’s condition and hence could not appear in the exam.
In the depth and changing circumstances of the case and especially in the context of the epidemic period, the depressive condition and the depression arising in the petitioner student can be seen as a serious illness, ”the Court of Justice NV Anjaria observed.
The depression that the petitioner suffered was during the period of the epidemic. It was an extremely difficult period. It is believed that the situation caused by the epidemic had a profound effect on the petitioner’s brain, which led him to disassociate himself from studies, the High Court said.
What the petitioner has said can be seen as real. The suspicion of the Institute regarding the petitioner is extremely insensitive and differs from the facts stated in the letter of the parents certified by the certificate of the doctor.
The court in its interim order dated April 23 allowed the petitioner to appear for the supplementary examination in May 2021, which he passed.
