SC directs CBSE to clear stand on pending Class 10, Class 12 board examinations as parents file petition against holding exams in July

The Supreme Court of India has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to hold consultation and clear its stand on conducting remaining papers of Class 10 and 12. The apex court issued the direction while hearing a petition filed by four parents who had sought from the court a direction to the board to announce results on the basis of exams already held and internal assessments. The four parents named Amit Bathla, Poonam Singla, Charu Singh and Sunitha have filed the petitions through advocate Rishi Malhotra raising concerns over the safety of lakh of students in view of the coronavirus pandemic. [caption id=“attachment_8411651” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] File image of Supreme Court. Reuters[/caption] As per a report by The Quint, Malhotra, while addressing a three-judge bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjeev Khanna, had suggested that instead of conducting exams, CBSE should evaluate students on the basis of exams that have already been conducted and on practical exams. The Hindustan Times reported that the plea filed by parents in the SC alleged that the CBSE has cancelled the examinations of Class 10 and 12 for around 250 schools located abroad and taken to the approach of awarding marks on the basis of either practical or internal assessment. The petition stated that the CBSE notification, which stated that the board would be conducting the remaining examinations in the month of July is arbitrary as according to AIIMS data, the said COVID-19 pandemic would be at its peak during that time. The CBSE had last month announced that the pending papers of both Class 10 and Class 12 would be held from 1 to 15 July. The petition also mentioned that as the most number of the cases could be asymptomatic, in that case unaffected students could contract the coronavirus and become carriers of the virus themselves. The plea said, “It is highly regretful that the respondents herein have no genuine concern about putting the lives at peril of all the students pan India and have no explanation whatsoever in insisting upon holding the said examination in India.”