Delhi Violence : Delhi HC Asks CBSE To Consider Plea For Shifting Board Exam Centre

In light of riots that have engulfed parts of north east Delhi, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the CBSE to expeditiously decide the plea of a school located in Anand Vihar in east Delhi and five of its students who moved the Court seeking direction to change their centre for Board examination.

The High Court said so while observing prima facie that the situation in the area was not conducive to holding the examinations.

The school and its students (through their guardians) have impleaded CBSE saying "they have been constrained to approach this Court since they are aggrieved by the illegality and arbitrariness, of the Respondent (CBSE) to allot an examination centre for Classes 10th and 12th students of the Petitioner School, 16 kms away from the school. The current and latest violent clashes and riots that have taken place at the said area have made it absolutely impossible for the students to be even reaching the examination centre for taking the examinations".

The plea was mentioned before the high court by Advocate Kamal Gupta and was listed for hearing before Justice Rajiv Shakdher.

Justice Shakdher asked the Registrar General to apprise the court of the law and order situation in Karawal Nagar.

The Registrar General, after inquiring with the local police, returned a finding that the situation in the area continues to be grim.

The matter is now listed for tomorrow.

The school told the court that this year, there are approximately 359 students for class 12th and 194 students for Class 10, registered for taking the board examination.

While stressing that as per the general conditions of examinations issued by the CBSE, the centre has to be located within 10 KMs and is generally, by and large, allotted within 5-6 KMs to every school, keeping in mind the convenience of the parents who have to make their own arrangements to drop their children to the examination centre, it made the court aware of the inconvenience its wards were put to on Monday.

"…on 24.02.2020 i.e., yesterday, when the parents went to the Centre to drop their children for taking Physical Education examination for Class XII, violent clashes and riots had reported to be erupted in the said area and on the very road on which the school is situated. It is absolutely impossible that the students would be able to take any examination at that centre, given not only the poor space, infrastructure, health, hygiene conditions of the Centre itself, but also with the present violent clashes and riots that are now taking place in the area. No amount of promises can allay the fears in the minds of the parents and the children. Needless to state that the children, at this crucial stage in their lives, cannot be subjected to such mental stress and pressure. The fundamental rights viz. Articles 14, 19(1)(a), 19(1)(g) & more so Article 21 of the Constitution of India are at stake in the present case," says the petition.

It says it had yesterday itself written to the CBSE to change the Centre.