NEW DELHI: It is for the
Central Board of Secondary Education (
CBSE) to decide when to hold an exam, the Delhi
high court observed on Monday, refusing to be drawn into a
fresh plea challenging the date of
Class XII economics retest. The paper will be held again on April 25, following a leak.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar declined to issue directions to CBSE to reschedule the retest, as sought by an NGO, on the ground that there are several important entrance examinations between April 22-25, including that for the National Defence Academy.
The NGO pleaded that due to CBSE’s fault the students are at the receiving end, as they would not be able to prepare and study for the entrances while those from other education boards would face no clash of dates.
“Problem is that whether to hold or not hold an examination is for the CBSE to decide. It is not proper for a court to interfere, it is outside our purview,” the bench remarked, dismissing the plea.
“You are saying NDA exam is clashing with this date. If they again change the date, somebody else will come. On what basis a court can say hold the exam on this day and not on that day? It will be anarchy,” the bench added.
Meanwhile, the court asked CBSE to place before it the records relating to the board’s decision not to conduct re-examination of Class X mathematics examination, which also was allegedly leaked.
The CBSE, in its affidavit filed last week, explained that it had decided not to hold re-examination of Class X maths test as a scientific evaluation of random answer sheets did not indicate any unusual pattern to believe that there was widespread benefit of the alleged paper leak.
The board also opposed the intervention application of the NGO, Social Jurist, saying it has considered all the aspects before scheduling the Class XII economics exam on April 25 and due care was taken while selecting the date.
The court was hearing a PIL, in which the NGO had sought that CBSE be directed to hold the Class X exam in April, if required, and not in July as it had proposed earlier. It disposed of the PIL after NGO’s counsel Ashok Agarwal said he was satisfied with the board’s decision of not holding the re-examination for the Class X paper.
In addition, a separate plea demanded a retest for Class X maths exam, saying those students who were affected by the leak must get a chance to take the exam again.
