Madhyamik Exams 2024 | Calcutta HC Declines Plea Challenging Revised Exam Timings, Directs State & Secondary Examination Board To Ensure Students' Convenience

The Calcutta High Court has declined a plea by an association of teachers challenging a decision of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) whereby the timing of the ensuing Madhyamik Pariksha (SE) 2024 had been rescheduled from 11.45 am-3 pm to 9:45 a.m- 1 p.m.

While observing that the decision of the WBBSE, which was communicated only 2 weeks before the commencement of the exams could have been notified in advance, a single bench of Justice Biswajit Basu directed the State to ensure that all possible assistance was provided to the exam-taking students and laid down guidelines for the same.

It held: The Board should have announced the rescheduled timing much earlier than just two weeks before the examination and thereby has made the situation irreversible. This Court, for the said reason only is not interfering with the decision of the Board to reschedule the timing of the examination. However, the Board and the State Administration must ensure that the students shall not face any difficulty in taking up the said examination.

Petitioners submitted that there was no reason for the rescheduling of the exams, which would be to the detriment of the students and thus the original timings must be reverted to. 

Counsel for the State submitted that the administrative measures required to hold the exam at the rescheduled time were complete and that any further changes would lead to total disruption.

Counsel for the WBBSE submitted that the stakeholders were consulted before a change of timings was made and that the board was assured of all logistical support, which would eliminate all inconveniences for the students.

Accordingly, the Court expressed its inability to interfere with the amended timings at the eleventh hour, and disposed of the plea with the following directions:

1. To provide sufficient number of functional help lines in all the Control Rooms set up for the examination at different levels.

2. To take steps for wide circulation of the said help line numbers at the ground level by all available modes, including loudspeaker announcements through local Police Stations.

3. On reporting of any inconvenience in the Control Room by any student or anyone on his/her behalf, the Administration shall take immediate steps to bring the student to his/her examination center atleast half an hour before the scheduled time of commencement of the examination.