Madras High Court: Law Students Cannot Skip Mandatory Attendance and Rely on ChatGPT or Online Learning to Continue Their Course

The Madras High Court has ruled that law students who fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement cannot be allowed to continue their studies through alternative arrangements, emphasizing that online learning and artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT cannot replace classroom education.

A Division Bench comprising Justice S.M. Subramaniam and Justice N. Senthilkumar allowed appeals filed by the Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University and set aside an earlier order that had granted relief to students with significant attendance shortages.

The case involved three law students whose attendance stood at 46%, 41%, and 37%, far below the minimum requirement prescribed under the Bar Council of India Rules. A Single Judge had earlier permitted them to progress academically and make up their attendance deficit through alternative methods. However, the Division Bench found that such directions were contrary to the statutory framework governing

legal education.

The Court noted that the Bar Council Rules require 70% attendance, with relaxation permissible only up to 65% in exceptional circumstances. Any further reduction, it held, would defeat the purpose of the rule and unfairly disadvantage students who regularly attended classes.

Highlighting the importance of physical classroom learning, the Bench observed that legal education is not limited to acquiring knowledge from books or technology. Classroom discussions, debates, discipline, ethics, and professional values are essential components of legal training. The Court further remarked that AI tools may assist learning but cannot replace qualified teachers or the educational experience provided by direct classroom interaction.