Court says holding of SSLC exam in the interest of students and Karnataka govt has taken adequate Covid precautions
BENGALURU:
The Karnataka High Court has upheld the move by the state government to hold the SSLC exam in physical form from July 19.
A division bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Hanchate Sanjeev Kumar said the exam was “in the interest of students” and added that the government had taken adequate Covid-prevention measures for the purpose.
Dismissing a PIL against the holding of the SSLC exam, the court said the petition was lacking in merit. Referring to the argument that the 2nd PUC exam had been cancelled, the bench said that was no reason for the SSLC exam to also be cancelled. Observing that there was data available to assess 2nd PUC students but no such data in the case of SSLC students, the bench said it found “no arbitrariness in the state holding the (SSLC) exam on July 19.”
‘Not compulsory for students’
To the petitioner’s argument that if students are forced to attend the exam, there are chances of Covid infections, the court stressed that no student would be forced to take the exam, either by the government or by his/her parents.
Last year too, the HC had dismissed a similar petition against holding the exam. The state Advocate General informed the bench that last year’s Covid-related guidelines framed by the HC were part of the exam SOP this year.
About the Author
