In its statement, Yuva Sena said that the central government was ignoring the "physical and mental health and the anxieties and safety of students" in conducting the exams.
Yuva Sena, the youth wing of one of Maharashtra's ruling parties, the Shiv Sena, has filed a writ petition against the University Grants Commission's (UGC) decision to conduct the final-year examinations for colleges and universities in September.
The examinations were postponed from earlier this year after the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent nationwide lockdown.
In its statement, Yuva Sena said that the central government was ignoring the "physical and mental health and the anxieties and safety of students" in conducting the examinations even as India remains the third worst-hit nation.
The organisation stated that there is a risk of transmission of COVID-19 since both the students and the exam invigilators will have to travel, and called for students to be promoted on the basis of aggregate of marks scored in this academic year.
State cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray, who also leads the Yuva Sena, said that the petition was filed with a "humble prayer to save lives of lakhs of students, teachers, non teaching staff and their families by asking the UGC to not be stubborn about enforcing examinations when India has crossed the 10 lakh cases mark".
Thackeray had earlier called UGC's decision "absolutely absurd and probably from an alternate universe".
"I urge UGC to not make this a silly issue of egos and realise that lakhs of lives of students, teachers, non teaching staff are at stake," Thackeray said in a tweet. He also asked whether the UGC would take "responsibility for the health of each student".