Clear Stand on Pending Exams by 23 June: Supreme Court Tells CBSE

The SC was hearing a petition filed by a group of parents, asking for pending CBSE examinations to be scrapped.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 17 June, asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to clear its stand and provide clear guidelines on the conduct of pending board examinations by 23 June. The apex court issued these directions while hearing a petition filed by a group of parents, who had asked for the pending examinations to be scrapped.

According to Rishi Malhotra, who had appeared for the petitioners, a three-judge bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjeev Khanna had asked the former what his plea was.

Malhotra suggested that instead of conducting exams, CBSE should evaluate students on the basis of actual marks for exams already conducted and on the basis of practical examinations for exams that are pending.

The court then asked CBSE to come out with a clear stand and provide instructions on examinations that are slated from 1 to 15 July.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for CBSE informed the court that the said board is “in the process of taking appropriate action with regard to the subject matter of this writ petition very shortly.” The counsel requested for a short adjournment, in anticipation of the action being considered by CBSE, while assuring to intimate the court about the same at the next hearing.

The Supreme Court’s directive comes at a time when the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, according to sources, is likely to make a ‘big decision’ on conduct of pending CBSE exams, if the situation does not improve in the next 10 days.

Grounds on Which Petition Was Filed

The petition, filed by parents of students who have appeared for CBSE Class 12 examinations this year, demands that the pending CBSE exams be scrapped and students be marked on the basis of internal assessment for papers that have so far not been conducted.

According to the petition, conducting board exams in the month of July may endanger thousands of students, as the number of coronavirus cases are expected to peak during that period.

Further, the petition mentions that since a large number of the infected population could be asymptotic, students could become carriers of the virus themselves, and thereby infect other students, and in turn, their family members.

It also alleges ‘discrimination’ and display of ‘arbitrariness’ by the CBSE, as several other boards and colleges across the country have cancelled their respective examinations. It also points out that the board has cancelled pending exams for schools in foreign in countries that are affiliated to it.