[BREAKING] 'Decision Taken In Students' Interest' : Karnataka High Court Refuses To Cancel SSLC Exams

The Karnataka High Court has refused to interfere with the decision of the State Government to hold SSLC exams in physical form for students of Class X from July 19.

A division bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Hanchate Sanjeev Kumar observed that the holding of exam was "in the interest of students" and that the state has taken adequate precautionary measures against COVID-19 pandemic.

The bench dismissed a PIL filed seeking cancellation of exam as lacking in merit.

The bench observed that merely because II PUC exam was cancelled, it cannot be argued that SSLC exams should also be cancelled.

"In case of 2nd PUC student, there was data available to assess the marks. However, as far as the SSLC students are concerned, there is no such data. Therefore we find there is no arbitrariness in State holding exams on July 19", the bench observed.

The petitioner submitted that if students are forced to attend exam, there are chances of COVID infection.  In this regard, the Court observed that no student would be forced to attend exams either by State or Parents.

The Court observed that the petitioner was not able to point out any arbitrariness in the decision of the State to hold SSLC exams. Last year also, the High Court had dismissed a similar challenge, and had allowed the state to conduct exams with certain additional guidelines. The Advocate General of Karnataka informed the bench that those guidelines framed by the Court last year have been incorporated into the SOP for this year.