Karnataka Board Exams: Supreme Court Puts KSEAB Class 5, 8, And 9 Examinations On Hold

After the dictation of the order, Justice Trivedi remarked that the state shall not proceed further with the examinations.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 put on hold the Karnataka Government’s move to conduct board exams for classes 5, 8, and 9, in all Karnataka state affiliated schools across the state, as per a Livelaw report. The apex court’s intervention in the matter comes following appeals by the organisations of private schools and parents challenging the  interim order passed by a division bench of the Karnataka High Court on March 7 staying a single bench judgment which quashed the Government's decision to hold board exams for Classes 5, 8,9 and 11. 

Earlier, the Karnataka High Court in its interim order on March 7, stayed the single bench decision which allows the state government to continue its proposed board exams for classes 5, 8, and 9. The Supreme Court set aside the interim order of the High Court Division bench and asked them to decide the main appeals expeditiously based on merits, without being influenced by the top court’s decision. 

Releasing the order, the apex court also acknowledged the fact that the Summa Summative exams for class 11 in the state were already over, and the exams for classes 5, 8, and 9 have already commenced (since yesterday) and are likely to be concluded on 18.03.2024. “We need not clarify that you (State) shall not proceed further with the exams," Justice Trivedi remarked to the State's counsels after the dictation of the order. "Don't wait for the order to be uploaded,” Mithal, J also added. 

Notably, what led to the involvement of the judiciary on to the Karnataka Annual Exams was the recent appointment of the Karnataka School Examination & Assessment Board (KSEAB) as the competent authority to conduct the "Summative Assessment-2" exams for students of Classes 5, 8, and 9, as well as the annual exams for Class 11. The KSEAB was tasked with conducting the annual exams for all government aided and unaided schools and colleges that follow the Karnataka government syllabus. 

The move from the Karnataka government was challenged in the High Court where a single bench quashed the government's orders. However, in the state’s appeal, a division bench stayed the order of the single bench. Further challenging the order of the Karnataka High Court, organizations of private schools and parents filed special leave petitions before the Supreme Court. 

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