The APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University can take appropriate decisions regarding the conduct of examinations in the colleges affiliated to it, after considering all relevant aspects and taking due precautions against COVID-19, the Kerala High Court has said.
Justice Anu Sivaraman issued the order while dismissing a petition filed by 29 students of various colleges against the university’s decision to hold examinations in the offline mode. The petitioners contended that the decision was illegal as the University Grants Commission had clearly mandated that assessment shall be made only by internal evaluation and previous semester scores as suggested in its 2020 guidelines.
‘Norms not violated’
The 2020 guidelines, the court noted, provided for conducting terminal semester examinations keeping in mind the protocols of physical distancing. It was also made clear that the mode of assessment of intermediate semester/year students was left to the discretion of the university. Hence, the contention that the guidelines were violated by the university in conducting offline examinations cannot be accepted, the court held.
The court pointed out that the petitioners were only 29 in number and a large number of students who were taking the examinations were not party to the writ petition.
If COVID-infected
The court directed that the examinations shall be conducted strictly following the COVID-19 protocol. The case of students who are unable to attend the examinations due to COVID-related reasons shall be considered appropriately by the university.
