Bhaskar English: Jodhpur Sunday, May 24, 2026.
The Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court has issued a notice to National Law University (NLU) Jodhpur, seeking its response in a case involving two gold medals that were prepared in a student’s name but were awarded to another student during the convocation ceremony..jpg)
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The decision to change the recipient was reportedly taken just five minutes before the convocation procession began. A single bench of Justice Sanjeet Purohit directed the university administration to clearly explain its position regarding the issuance of the petitioner’s marksheet before the next hearing. The matter will now be heard in the second week of July 2026.
Judicial aspirant Anuj Shukla, the petitioner, is arguing the case himself with assistance from his senior, Nikhil Ajmera. Anuj Shukla is arguing his own case in court with the help of his senior Nikhil Ajmera.
Shocking decision 5 minutes before convocation procession
Anuj Shukla, a resident of Bhilwara, completed his LLB from NLU Odisha between 2018 and 2023. At the university’s convocation ceremony held on July 26, 2023, he received eight gold medals from President Droupadi Murmu. After completing his LLB, Shukla enrolled in the LLM (IPR Law) programme at NLU Jodhpur for the 2023–24 batch.
At the university’s 17th convocation ceremony on February 23, 2025, he was scheduled to receive two gold medals. A university committee had recommended his name for the awards during its meeting on February 8, 2025. The recommendation was approved by the Academic Council on February 15. Shukla’s name had already been printed in the convocation brochure, and the medals themselves carried his name.
However, just five minutes before the ceremony began on February 23, the Controller of Examinations stopped him from receiving the awards. Shukla was informed that, due to a “re-evaluation”, he was no longer eligible for the gold medals. Without giving him an opportunity to be heard, both medals were awarded to another student from the same batch.
The complicated game of 're-evaluation' and the university's policy
The controversy centres on the ‘Research Methodology’ paper in the first semester of the LLM programme. Shukla had originally scored 82 marks in the examination, but after re-evaluation the marks were reduced to 65.
On January 4, 2024, he sent an email seeking clarification regarding the reduction in marks, but received no response. The examination department had issued his grade sheet based on the original score of 82 marks, resulting in a total score of 441 out of 480 and a CGPA of 9.19 out of 10.
Based on these figures, the committee on February 8 had declared Shukla eligible for the medals, ranking him ahead of his classmate with 875 marks compared to 872. However, on the day of the convocation, the Controller of Examinations allegedly relied on the revised marks and reversed the decision. President Droupadi Murmu had awarded the gold medal to Anuj Shukla upon completion of his LLB.
Only the 'Academic Council' has the authority to award/cancel gold medals
Representing himself before the High Court, Shukla raised several legal objections in his petition. He argued that under university regulations, only the Academic Council has the authority to award or cancel gold medals, and that the Controller of Examinations has no such power.
According to the petition, the last-minute decision taken on February 23 received approval from Vice-Chancellor Professor Harpreet Kaur only on February 25, after the medals had already been distributed. The petition further states that on March 17, 2025, the examination department handed Shukla a new marksheet that had been authenticated retrospectively with a date of February 23.
Shukla refused to accept the document and claims that he has still not received a proper marksheet.
Shocking revelation when response sought through RTI
Seeking clarity, Shukla filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act requesting details of the meeting allegedly held on February 23, 2025. In a response dated September 23, 2025, the university’s Public Information Officer provided documents that revealed a meeting had been conducted to transfer the gold medals from the petitioner to another student at the last moment.
The records stated that four senior university professors attended the meeting. However, none of the signatures on the documents carried a date. The documents also suggested that the decision to change the medal recipient was implemented on February 23 itself, while the Vice-Chancellor’s approval was obtained only on February 25.
High Court Hearing and Instructions to NLU
The case first came up before Justice Sunil Beniwal on November 6, 2025, when notices were issued to the university. During the latest hearing on May 22, Advocate Shreyansh Mardia appeared on behalf of NLU Jodhpur and sought time to file a reply to the petitioner’s amendment application.
Granting the request, Justice Sanjeet Purohit also issued strict directions regarding the withholding of the petitioner’s marksheet and asked the university to clarify its position before the next hearing.
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