A stiff legal battle is on between an IPS officer and the University of Madras. The university has filed a writ appeal in the Madras High Court challenging a single judge’s order to round off 59.91% marks obtained by the IPS officer to 60 %. The HC is hearing the appeal.
IPS officer Pa Moorthy (IPS:2010:TN), currently posted as DIG of Tirunelveli range, had scored 59.91% marks in his Masters in Law examination in the academic session 2018-19 under the University of Madras. He was placed under second class due to a shortfall of 0.09%. He wanted it to be rounded off to 60% so that he could be considered to have passed his ML degree in first class and not second class. Pa Moorthy moved the High Court in 2022 for the same.
A HC Judge ordered 59.91% marks, obtained by the petitioner, to be rounded off to 60%. It led the University of Madras to move the High Court
with a writ appeal against this single judge order, contending that university authorities are not empowered to round off marks obtained by a student. A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice D. Krishnakumar and Justice M Jothiraman are hearing the case. The HC bench adjourned the hearing since on Tuesday for a week.
However, another Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan (now a Supreme Court judge) and Mohammed Shaffiq had already stayed the single judge’s order earlier this year.
