BTech Students From Kerala Move Supreme Court To Direct University Conduct Online Exams Amid COVID

The plea has been filed by BTech students studying in various colleges affiliated to APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Kerala Technical University seeking directions to conduct all examinations for the B-Tech Course in all its affiliated colleges, through online mode in wake of the Second Wave of the pandemic.

The plea has been filed through Advocates Arun Poomulli and Lakshmi Kaimal. They have urged the Court to declare that the conduct of the offline examination by the University is violative of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India,1950.

While stating that the total test positivity rate in the State of Kerala has not gone down below 10% despite multiple lockdowns, the petitioners have argued that conduct of offline examinations in such a situation is highly dangerous and risky. Students turning up at examination halls in large numbers will prove to be a high risk as per the petitioners.

The petitioners have further argued that  students from the University hail from different States which are under differing levels of lockdown. Therefore, it is highly unjust to force such students to travel and reach the faraway examination centres with the risk of catching COVID 19. According to them, online examinations is the only real solution to the problem.

Further, it has been argued that since the University has already decided to purchase software to conduct online examinations in the future, there is no reason why the process cannot be expedited and be made available to the students going through such hardships at present.

Case Title: Harikrishnan R. & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.