Provide Centre’s guidelines on holding SSC exam: HC to state government

NT NETWORK

Panaji

The High Court of Bombay at Goa has asked the central government and the Goa government to file a reply on an affidavit stating whether the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) guidelines in view of the COVID-19 pandemic allow the holding of SSC examination.

Earlier, on May 15, the High Court had refused to interfere with the SSC examination, scheduled to be held from May 21. However, the High Court decided to hear review applications observing that since May 15, COVID-19 cases have increased significantly.

The High Court had during an earlier hearing observed that based on the apprehension expressed by the petitioners, not quite supported by any concrete material as such on record, it will not be possible to interfere with the conduct of the examination.

The challenge in the petition was to the decision of the state government and the Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education to hold the SSC examination from May 21 onwards.

The High Court observed that there is no doubt, as urged by and on behalf of the petitioners, that same element of risk always persists. However, it said that the petitioners have failed to make out a case that the state government and the Board were not at all conscious of such risk or that such a decision has been made without assessment of the risk.

At this stage, it is not possible to say that the state government or the Board will not continuously assess the situation and take suitable decision, if any need for the same actually arises in the course of conduct of the examination, it said.