CBSE Class 12 Board Exams: Centre To Decide In Two Days, Next SC Hearing On June 3

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it will take a decision on Class 12 board exams in two days. The Supreme Court will resume hearing on the case on June 3. CBSE Class 12 Board Exam 2021 cancellation petition to cancel the Class 12 board exams has been filed in view of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country.

The plea, filed by advocate Mamta Sharma, which came up for hearing on Friday was adjourned to May 31, has sought directions to the Centre, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) to cancel the CBSE and ICSE Class 12 examinations.

Supreme Court said that if the Government is not canceling exams, it must give "tangible reasons". The court will examine the matter once the Centre decides on the Class 12 board exams. 

Attorney General K K Venugopal told this to a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari which was hearing a plea seeking directions to cancel the class 12 exams of the CBSE and Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE) in view of the current situation.

"No issue. You take the decision. You are entitled to it. If you are departing from the policy of last year, then you must give tangible reasons for it," the bench told Venugopal.

The apex court on June 26, 2020 had approved the schemes of the CBSE and CISCE for cancellations of remaining board examinations scheduled from July 1 to 15 last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and also approved their formula for assessment of examinees.

At the outset, the attorney general told the bench, "The government will take a final decision within the next two days. We are hoping that your lordships will give us time till Thursday (June 3) so that we can come back with the final decision."

The bench has posted the matter for hearing on June 3.

"List on Thursday as requested by the attorney general as the competent authority is examining all the aspects of the matter and is likely to take in-principle decision which will be placed before the court," the bench said.

The plea, filed by petitioner Mamta Sharma, has also sought directions to devise an "objective methodology" to declare the result of class 12 within a specific time frame.

Even though the case is for the central boards – CBSE and CISCE – other state boards might follow the suit to maintain uniformity for students across the country. In class 10 board exams, when CBSE canceled its exams, other boards followed the same route. As of now, only Bihar Board has held board exams, and the Chhattisgarh board will be holding exams from home.

With PTI inputs