Calcutta, April 25: The high court today said it was not mandatory for honours students who have cleared their Part I examinations to appear in mid-term tests before Part II.

The ruling came on a plea by Pallavi Majumdar, a BA (Sanskrit) stud- ent of Vijay Krishna Girls’ College in Howrah, who was barred from writing her Part II papers this year because she had skipped the mid-term test.

“She was allowed to appear in the selection test before the Part II exam. She also had the necessary attendance,” said Kallol Basu, the advocate appearing for Pallavi.

He argued that a student who had cleared the selection test could not be prevented from appearing for the exam under Calcutta University rules.

The lawyer appearing for Calcutta University, a respondent to the case, told the court that many colleges had their own rules that made it mandatory for students to obtain at least 35 per cent in the mid-term tests.

He, however, admitted that there was no specific provision for such a test in the university’s examination rules.

Justice D. Kargupta asked the college to allow Pallavi to appear for the examination beginning mid-June and said taking the mid-term test in the second year of college cannot be mandatory for students.

Basu said the order will be a precedent for all college students. “It would force many institutions under CU, especially the missionary colleges, to ease their strict policy of mid-term examinations.”