New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Friday that it would hear on May 31 a plea seeking directions to cancel Class 12 examinations in the wake of the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari.
The apex court has asked petitioner Mamta Sharma to serve a copy of the plea to the counsel representing the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
"We permit the counsel for the petitioner to serve an advance copy of the petition to respondents namely the central agency, counsel for the CBSE and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination", the bench said as it announced the date for hearing the case as Monday (May 31) .
The petition has arrayed the Centre, the CBSE and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination as respondents in the matter.
During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing, Justice Maheshwari observed that the CBSE is likely to take a call on this issue on June 1.
The petition has sought directions to the Centre, the CBSE and the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination to cancel the Class 12 examinations and devise an objective methodology to declare the result within a specific timeframe.
Due to the unprecedented health emergency and surge in COVID-19 cases in the country, it would not be possible to conduct the examination and any further delay would cause irreparable loss to the future of students.
The CBSE had earlier said it has not taken any decision yet on the Class 12 board examination even as a section of students and parents have been demanding cancellation of exams in view of the pandemic situation.
The board had on April 14 announced the cancellation of Class 10 exams and postponement of Class 12 exams in view of the surge in coronavirus cases.
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