Falling in Line

After completing my MBA, I decided to pursue LLB (Hons) course, while I was posted in Indore. These two professional degrees helped me perform well in my various assignments, but that’s a different story altogether.

It was the last semester of 3-year degree course. I appeared in all the papers with full enthusiasm. When the final results were declared, based on the marks obtained in all the previous five semesters, I saw my roll number in first class. It was not there.

Then I rolled over to the second division, my number was not there too. Then totally disappointed, finally I looked at the numbers coming under the third division, it was not there again. It came like a bolt from the blue. It meant that I had failed in the sixth semester.

I immediately rushed to my college, but I was told that subject wise marks will be received from university the next day. The day was heavy for me. I had to reconcile myself to the fact that I had failed in the sixth semester and also in the LLB examination.

But what was more surprising for me was when I saw my mark sheet of 6th semester. There was a paper on ‘Conveyancing and Drafting’. I had scored only five marks out of 70.

I remember that I had taken four additional answer-sheets to write the examination, as the answers were descriptive in nature. It’s impossible to score only 5 marks after attempting all the five questions with full satisfaction.

In those days, it was not the practice to show answer-sheets to the examinees. The only option available was to go for revaluation by paying a certain amount of fee.

I went for this option as I thought my marks would be 55, 57 or 59, and the second digit might have been inadvertently missed by the examiner. But unfortunately, the result remained unchanged.

I was told that in revaluation, the examiner recalculates only the secured marks without paying attention to the qualitative aspect of the answers.

Then someone suggested that my additional sheets might have got detached and misplaced somewhere, as we used to tie those sheets to the main one with the help of a thread.

But that too was not possible, as there was at least one answer in the main answer sheet, and the marks allotted to a question were 14. So even 5 out of 14 was not a possibility.

Finally, I met with the Principal, and conveyed my apprehensions to her. She was a nice person. She agreed with my views, but she asked me to wait for a day or two, as she would talk to the Controller of Examinations. I saw some rays of hope in her words.

But my hopes were dashed again when she advised me to re-appear for that paper. I talked to my bank’s lawyer about filing a lawsuit against the university because I felt cheated. In the court, the university authorities might be advised to show the answer-sheet.

My experienced lawyer said calmly, “Sir, do you want to pass LLB or want to contest elections? By the time the court gives its verdict, you will be too old to enjoy its fruits.”

Being an obedient citizen of the country, I re-appeared for that paper and after three months I was declared passed in first division.

–Kaushal Kishore