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The Supreme Court today adjourned a plea seeking directions to CBSE and ICSE to conduct the Class X and XII Term 1 exams in a blended or hybrid manner.

A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar will now hear the matter on Thursday along with a plea filed in a similar context.

Originally, the aforesaid exams were scheduled to be conducted only once, at the end of the academic year but owing to the COVID pandemic, CBSE and ICSE resolved to schedule the exams in the month of November and December 2021.

The respondents have thus devised the scheme of Term 1 and Term 2, Semester 1 and Semester 2 for this academic year to avoid cancellation of exams.

Filed by six students, the plea submits that CBSE released a circular dated October 14, 2021, declaring that all examinations for minor and major subjects for Class X and Class XII will be held in offline mode alone which are spread over 45 days. 

It is added that the said 45 days are preceded by pre boards and practical  exams which are also to be conducted in offline mode.

Referring to the Date Sheet, it is submitted that the respondents are placing the petitioners in great danger.

"Take the Term 1 exam offline or leave it is a stone cold approach severely impinging the Right to Health and hence violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India", avers the plea.

Relying on the status update on COVID represented by Ministry of Health, which states that COVID infection is high in some states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Mizoram and West Bengal, the petitioners submit that the respondents have chosen to conduct Class X and Class XII Exams in offline mode only for the largely unvaccinated section of the Society.

In this background, the petition seeks quashing of the two circulars issued by CBSE and ICSE to conduct their exams in Offline mode alone as being manifestly arbitrary and in violation of Article 14 and Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

Cause title: ABHYUDAY CHAKMA AND OTHERS v CENTRAL BOARD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION AND ORS