In light of the pandemic, questions have been raised about central and state examinations that were scheduled to be conducted this year. On Wednesday, the Supreme Court has dismissed the plea against the Karnataka High Court order, which requested that the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination be cancelled.
The SSLC board examinations for 10th standard students in Karnataka will proceed as scheduled between June 25th and July 4th. Nearly 8.48 lakh students will be writing the exam in the state.
Supreme Court upholds Karnataka HC ruling, SSLC exam to be conducted as scheduled
On May 27th the Karnataka High Court had given approval to the State to conduct the SSLC board examination for class 10 students on June 25th. The court insisted that safety measures should be taken and all Government health advisories and orders should be followed.
However, soon after a petition was filed against the order, claiming that if the exams are conducted it would be a violation of to the minor's Right to Life in light of the pandemic. The plea added that 25-30 Lakh people would be on the roads trying to make it to over 3000 examination centres. Hence, the petition insisted that the exams which over 8.48 lakh students will be writing should stand cancelled and the marks should be meted out based on internal assessment.
The Karnataka High Court insisted that there should be minimal interference in academic matters by the court. The petition stood firm on the ground that the issue was one of the minor's fundamental rights demanding the court's intervention.
The apex court which heard the plea on Wednesday upheld the High Court's stand on slow interference on academic matters further stating that a constitutional court must try to stay out of academic matters. A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao, Krishna Murari and S Ravindra Bhat dismissed the plea against the Karnataka High Court.
The Government had earlier granted migrant children and those in containment zones to appear for the exam after a period of two months. The petitioner argued that this could render the exams on June 25th unnecessary. However, the apex court upheld that if students couldn't give the exams on the given date, the exams could be reconducted for them following two months.
The Secondary education minister S Suresh Kumar said that efforts are being made to ensure the safety of the students. Section 144 of IPC will be imposed on a 200-metre radius around the centre to ensure there is no crowding in the area.
