Petition Filed In SC To Cancel Class 12 Exams, Advocate Alleges 'Step-Motherly' & 'Inhuman' Directions

According to the Union Education Ministry, there is broad consensus among states about conducting the examination and a final decision will be announced by June 1.

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New Delhi: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of Class 12 board examinations to be held by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (ISCE).  

It has urged the court to direct the Central government, CBSE and ICSE over the same.

Previously, in a letter dated April 14, CBSE cancelled the board examination for Class 10 while postponing the examination for Class 12.

CISCE too, through circulars dated April 16 and April 19, had cancelled the Class 10 examination and postponed the Class 12 board exam for an unspecified period.

The plea filed in the Supreme Court has asked for the CBSE and CISCE notifications of April 14,16 and 19, to be set aside with respect to clauses dealing with the postponement of the Class 12 board examination.

Advocate Mamta Sharma has filed the petition, asking the court to frame an objective methodology for the declaration of Class 12 result within a specific time frame.

The plea claims that "step-motherly, arbitrary, inhuman directions" have been issued to postpone the final examination of innocent Class 12 students for an unspecified duration.

"In view of the unprecedented health emergency and rising numbers of the Covid-19 cases in the country, the conduct of examination, either offline or online or blended in upcoming weeks is not possible and delay in the examination will cause irreparable loss to the students as time is the essence in taking admission in higher education courses in foreign universities," the plea said.

The advocate expressed worry stating that delay in declaration of result will ultimately hamper one semester of the aspiring students as admission cannot be confirmed until the result of Class 12 is declared.

Class 12 Board Exams: Final Decision On June 1

A high-level meeting was held on Sunday with all the states/UT education ministers, secretaries and other officials to discuss the pending Class 12 board exams. According to the Union Education Ministry, there is broad consensus among states about conducting the examination and a final decision will be announced by June 1.

The CBSE has proposed conducting the exams between July 15 to August 26 and the result to be declared in September.

The board also proposed two options: Conducting regular exams for 19 major subjects at notified centres or conducting shorter duration exams at respective schools where students are enrolled.

Meanwhile, Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia on Tuesday put across the state government's demand of "vaccination or cancellation" in his suggestions sent to the Central government on conducting class 12 board exams.

"If the government feels it's not feasible to vaccinate students at present then I strongly advocate that the exams should be cancelled and results should be tabulated as per scores obtained in last three years by students -- class 10, 11 and 12," he wrote.

(With inputs from agencies)