The Supreme Court on Sunday dismissed the plea challenging the Rajasthan High Court decision upholding the conduct of two remaining State Board Examinations for Class 10 on June 29 and 30.
A three-judge bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar dismissed the plea. The apex court stated that Rajasthan High Court order under challenge was passed a month back i.e. on May 29 and since then there has been no COVID-19 positive cases located in the examination centres. The top court said that state government is taking precautions.
Earlier also, the top court had passed similar order for Karnataka State Board exams.
The plea, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation, stated that the decision of the state board of conducting the Secondary examination of the remaining two papers of Class 10 to be conducted on June 29 and 30 is "erroneous" and deserves to be set aside.
The plea filed by the parent of a Class 10 student who had appeared for four exams conducted by the board, stated that the decision to conduct the remaining examinations during the midst of COVID-19 is arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.
"About 120 schools which are designated examination centres were used to quarantine people for shelter labourers in transit and that the conducting of examinations is wrong, illegal and discriminatory for the reason that it jeopardises the health of the students undertaking the exams and thus, amounting to violation of Article 21 and 14 of the constitution," stated the plea.
"The High Court failed to appreciate that the state board has not given any solution to the practical problems such as the movements of the students residing in the containment zones and the unavailability of private vehicles for all students, thereby restricting the movement," the petition read.
It also said that recently the Supreme Court accepted the decision of the CBSE and ICSE to cancel the remaining exams of Class 10 and 12 scheduled from July 1 to 15 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the board of secondary education in Rajasthan, which had conducted the last exam on March 18 directed that remaining two exams will be conducted in June 29 and 30 and 11,86,418 students of Class 10 would be giving exams, plea said.
( With inputs from ANI )