[CBSE Compartment Exams] Plea In SC Seeks Extension Of Deadline For Admission In Academic Year 2020-2021

Inter alia, they have asked the Court quash the CBSE Circulars mandating the conduct of compartment examination for 150198 students from class X and 87651 students from class XII, who were placed within the compartment category.

The plea has been filed through Advocates Sanjay Kumar Dubey, Tanvi Dubey and Sanpreet Singh Ajmani, stating that the "arbitrary decision" of the CBSE to conduct compartment examinations is violative of Right to Health of thousands of students.

"The said Guidelines fails to take into consideration the difficulties which will be faced by the students while appearing/making arrangements to appear in the examination, which will entail the students (who have already travelled to their hometown) to migrate from one place to another, in order to attend the examination. This will also involve risk of staying in shared accommodation as various schools and hostels have been converted into quarantine centers," the plea states.

They have further submitted that the students will be "grossly affected" as by this decision as by the time the compartment examination will be organized and the result shall be declared, most of the colleges/universities, will already close their admissions for academic year 2020-2021. Moreover, certain universities/colleges/education institutions have already closed admissions.

Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea seeking directions to the C.B.S.E to ensure that Petitioners and other students of class 10th and 12th in the compartment category, are not forced to appear in the compartment examination during the peak of COVID 19.

A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari & Sanjiv Khanna disposed of the petition stating that the petitioner may challenge the notification dated August 8, 2020.

Earlier, few students had made a representation in this behalf before the CBSE, stating that "in view of the rising cases of COVID Pandemic it shall be impossible for the CBSE to take the compartment examination soon and therefore, requested the CBSE to cancel the Compartment examination".

However, their request denied by CBSE vide notification dated 6.8.2020.