Student takes university to court after failing an assignment

It is not often a judge is asked to weigh in on the grading of university assignments, but that is exactly what has happened after a Melbourne student took his university to court.

Chinmay Naik failed the class he needed to get his degree and wants Melbourne’s Supreme Court to overturn his grade and allow him to pass.

Mr Naik failed an assignment about dogs because he handed the project in 19 days late and received a score of 12 out of 100.

Refusing to accept the grade, he went to the Human Rights Commission, the Ombudsman and then pulled Monash University in front of a judge.

The 23-year-old student needs the grade to finish his degree and keep his visa.

The university said it double-marked the assignment and increased his score, but the student still failed.

Mr Naik does not believe them and wants the judge to exempt him from the class.

“The university says the most I could do was quash or set aside your mark and ask the university to mark it again,” the judge said.

Mr Naik then wrote to former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull asking him to intervene, but did not receive a response.

But he did get a reply from the Victorian government to whom he also appealed, saying it was unable to help him.

“I have the tenacity to keep appealing something that I feel was done wrong to me,” he said.