On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court was informed by Delhi University (DU) that a special provision will be made for Muslim students who wish to observe Bakrid on May 28, coinciding with a scheduled Law Faculty exam. According to DU, these students can opt to take their exam on an alternative date. This decision ensures that no student, regardless of their religious belief, will have to choose between their academic obligations and the important religious festival of Bakrid.
The university’s counsel communicated that students wishing to avail of this option can inform the Dean of the Law Faculty via email. The exams for these students will be conducted on a date following July 4, instead of the original date of May 28. This statement was made during a hearing presided over by Justice Jasmeet Singh, who was addressing a plea that challenged the scheduling of the exam on a day recognized as a holiday by the Central government, DU, the Supreme Court, and the High Court due to Bakrid.
Justice Singh recorded the university’s commitment and instructed that details of the rescheduled exams should be communicated to the concerned students at least one week in advance. Consequently, the plea was disposed of.
The petition was initiated by Saif Rasheed Said, a sixth-semester student of the Law Faculty, who contested the Law Faculty’s office memorandum issued on May 25. The memorandum stated that the exam would proceed on May 28, despite the Central government’s official change of the Eid-ul-Zuha (Bakrid) holiday from May 27 to May 28.
Said’s plea sought the postponement of the ‘Public Policy and Administration’ exam, arguing that the memorandum was “arbitrary, discriminatory and unconstitutional.” The petition highlighted that holding exams on Bakrid forces Muslim students to choose between their religious obligations and their academic duties.
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The plea further argued that this decision by Delhi University contradicted the actions of several constitutional institutions, including the Supreme Court of India, which had already adjusted the Bakrid holiday to May 28 in accordance with the Centre’s notification. The petition claimed that DU’s refusal to reschedule the exam violated Articles 14, 21, 25, and 29 of the Constitution, which uphold equality, personal liberty, and freedom of religion.
The legal representation for Saeed was provided by advocates Iram Peerzada, Ashok Kumar Singh, Shishir Pinaki, and Rashid Saeed.
