Supreme Court Directs State Boards To Notify Assessment Scheme For Class XII Within 10 Days; Sets July 31 Deadline For Results

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed state boards to notify their respective schemes for assessment for the cancelled Class 12 physical exams within 10 days from today.

The Court further directed the state boards to declare the results of internal assessment by July 31.

"We're passing General order for all boards. We direct the Boards that schemes be formulated and notified in 10 days from today and also declare the internal assessment results by 31st July, like timeline specified for CBSE and ICSE", a vacation bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari ordered.

The Supreme Court also observed that it was not possible to have a uniform scheme of assessment for all state boards.

"We are not going to direct uniform scheme. Each board is different and autonomous. We cannot direct uniform scheme across India", the bench observed.

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by Advocate Anubha Sahai Srivastava seeking cancellation of state board exams amid COVID situation. While the petition was pending, several state boards announced the cancellation of Class 12 exams. Six states have already conducted Class 12 exams. State of Andhra Pradesh is the only state which is yet to hold the Class 12 exams or to announce its cancellation. The Andhra Pradesh Government told the Supreme Court that it is proposing to hold the exams tentatively in the last week of July.

The Court expressed dissatisfaction with the stand taken by the Andhra Pradesh Government, and intensely grilled the state's lawyer with respect to the decision. When other state boards, CBSE and ICSE have cancelled the Class 12 exams, why can't the Andhra Pradesh board also do the same, the bench asked.

The bench also voiced apprehensions about the college admissions of students of Andhra Pradesh board getting delayed if it was insisting on holding exams in the last week of July. For more details of the gripping court-room exchange, refer to this report.

'Are You Going To Risk Students' Lives?' Supreme Court Warns Andhra Pradesh Govt Against Holding Class XII Exams Amid COVID

Case : Anubha Shrivastava Sahai and others vs Union of India and others

Click here to read/download the order