Parents against holding of CBSE exams in July, move Supreme Court challenging notification

A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) notification declaring the commencement of Board exams in July, legal news website BarandBench.com has reported.

The plea prays for the results of students to be declared based on internal assessment marks this year.

The petition has been filed by the parents of students scheduled to appear for their XII Board exams in July, in line with the fresh schedule notified by the CBSE. In light of the growing concern over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the petitioners highlight that according to data by AIIMS, the pandemic would be at its peak in India.

At a time when India is nearing the 3,00,000 mark of total reported cases, it would be a huge risk to hold Board exams even though the number of exam centres stands increased and the authorities have assured that proper safety will be maintained, the plea states.

The petition also argues that many professional institutes have cancelled their exams set to be held this year in light of the pandemic. In this regard, the petition states,

"...the University of Delhi has cancelled their first year and second year undergraduate examination by stating that the same is not feasible during COVID-19 times. Similarly, even the premier institutes like IIT across the country has also cancelled all its exams including those of final year students because of the said situation. The State of Maharashtra has also cancelled all University exams including their final year examinations."

The petition also highlights the various practical difficulties that will be posed should the exams be conducted as scheduled. These include difficulties that a student from containment zones will face in order to leave the area to attend the exam centre and unavailability of private vehicles for all students to reach their exam centres.