The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to intervene in a plea by students to direct the authorities to hold the Classes 10 and 12 CBSE and ICSE term exams in hybrid mode.
A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the CBSE exams had commenced on November 15 and it was “inappropriate to intervene and disturb at this stage”.
The court disposed of the case after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta assured it on behalf of the government and the authorities that COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and protocol as per the standard operating procedure would be followed diligently without exposing the children and the exam officials to danger.
Cumbersome
Mr. Mehta said nearly 34 lakh students were attending the exams and to change the mode into hybrid midway would prove cumbersome.
The Bench recorded Mr. Mehta’s statement that the number of children to a classroom had been reduced from over 40 to just 12.
Similarly, the number of exam centres have been increased from 6,500 to 15,000.
“All this has been done to ensure that students and exam duty holders are not exposed to any untoward situation,” the court noted.
It said that any chinks in the safety procedures should be brought to the attention of the official in charge of the exam centres, who would take immediate action.
‘Petition is belated’
The court observed that it would place its “hope and trust in the authorities to take all precautions”. The petition was belated, leaving it impossible for the court to step in.
The Bench recorded that the ICSE term exams were commencing from November 22.
In the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, for the petitioners, submitted that the threat of the pandemic had not passed and it would be premature to hold physical exams.
“The virus transmits in places where there is a large congregation of people,” he submitted.