In a relief to a woman law student, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has allowed her to submit her delayed LLM dissertation and complete her degree, holding that motherhood and pregnancy-related responsibilities cannot be ignored while applying academic deadlines.

Justice Hemant Chandangoudar directed the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University and Madurai Government Law College to accept R. Sangeetha's dissertation, permit her to appear for the viva voce examination and issue her degree certificate if she successfully fulfils all academic requirements.

Sangeetha had enrolled in the LLM programme in the 2019-20 academic year. After being re-admitted due to a shortage of attendance, she completed all her theory papers in 2022. However, she could not finish the dissertation, which is the final requirement for obtaining the degree.

Before the Court, Sangeetha said she conceived in March 2024 and gave birth to a daughter on December 7, 2024. She explained that her pregnancy, delivery and the responsibilities of caring for her newborn made it impossible to complete the dissertation within the time allowed by the university.

The university opposed her plea, citing the "N+2" rule, which required students admitted in 2019-20 to complete the course within four years. It argued that there was no provision to accept a dissertation after the deadline had expired.

The Court, however, observed that academic rules cannot be applied mechanically when exceptional circumstances are involved, especially those connected to the realities of pregnancy and motherhood.

Justice Chandangoudar noted that a woman going through pregnancy and caring for a newborn cannot be treated the same as an ordinary student for the strict application of academic timelines.

The Court also referred to the University Grants Commission's policy encouraging educational institutions to extend maternity and childcare support to women students. It emphasised that pregnancy and motherhood should not deprive women of educational opportunities.

The judge further observed that educational institutions must act with compassion, fairness and sensitivity to ensure that motherhood does not become a hurdle in completing higher education.

Since Sangeetha had already cleared all her theory examinations and was not seeking any exemption from academic requirements, the Court said denying her an opportunity to submit the dissertation would unfairly nullify years of hard work.

However, the Court clarified that the order was based on the specific facts of the case and should not be treated as a precedent in matters where such exceptional circumstances do not exist