States cannot promote final year students without holding exams: Supreme Court of India

Guwahati: Amid the raging controversy over the conduct of examinations, the Supreme Court today said that the "state cannot promote students without final year examinations."

As per the apex court, final year college examinations must be held this year but states can ask for the dates to be deferred beyond September 30 if they want to because of the ongoing crisis scenario.

Thus, as per the Court, all students have to take the final exams; states can only postpone them but cannot cancel them. The Supreme Court ruled that "internal assessments will not suffice."

Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy, and MR Shah delivered the ruling through video-conferencing.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for UGC, said the decision was for the "benefit of students" as universities have to start admissions to postgraduate courses despite the coronavirus crisis.

Several petitions had called for the exams to be canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The petitions pointed to the difficulties faced by students at a time all educational institutions were closed due to the virus crisis.

These petitions posit that since students have completed five semesters and had a Cumulative Grade Point Average or CGPA, these could be the basis for results without final examinations.

Earlier, the national education body University Grants Commission (UGC) had said final year college exams must be held by September 30. The exams are a must to "protect the academic future of students" and degrees cannot be given without examinations, it said.

During hearings, the UGC told the Supreme Court that the directive on exams was "not a diktat" but states cannot take a decision to confer degrees without exams; the state was free to extend the deadline. The Supreme Court today agreed.

The judges said that if the states feel they cannot conduct exams by September 20, they can approach UGC for relief.