The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to take effective steps to announce the Class XII Improvement Examination results at the earliest, noting that a delay may derail the admission process for students in West Asian countries. The court asked CBSE to present a plan for this purpose by Friday, regardless of the effort required.
Court Hearing and Directives
A bench of Justices Manmohan and Vijay Bishnoi agreed to hear the plea of an overseas student from Saudi Arabia, who sought directives for the declaration of his Class XII Improvement Examination result. The court issued notice to the board and asked CBSE to come up with a solution by Friday to ensure that the interests of the petitioner and other students in a similar situation are protected.
The counsel appearing for the board sought more time to respond to the petition, but the bench refused the plea and posted the case for hearing on June 12. "If needed, then burn the midnight oil, but do it by Friday," the bench said.
Petitioner's Concerns
Advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that non-declaration of the result has seriously prejudiced his academic career. The student has already applied for admission to a university, and failure to declare the result would deprive him of the opportunity to complete the admission process.
In view of the hardships faced by thousands of students in West Asian countries because of the war, the government had issued a notification of an assessment scheme. This scheme provided that marks for cancelled examinations would be determined on the basis of performance in quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board exams.
Petitioner's Submissions
The petitioner submitted that the status of his result was shown as 'RL (result later)' without any reason whatsoever being assigned. His representation to the board has gone unheard, leaving him with no option but to approach the court.
"The petitioner specifically requested the respondents to either assess the cancelled subjects in accordance with the assessment scheme, or permit the petitioner to appear in special examinations in terms of Clause 18 of the scheme. Despite repeated representations and reminders, no response has been received from the respondents," the petition said.
The court's directive aims to protect the interests of students facing similar issues and ensure timely declaration of results to facilitate college admissions abroad.
