Will hold Andhra Responsible For Even 1 Fatality: Court On Class 12 Exams

The Andhra Pradesh government -- which has been keen on holding physical exams for Class 12 students -- has been given  a warning and two days' time to take a decision by the Supreme Court. "If there is even one fatality, we will hold the state responsible... You cannot keep everything uncertain," the judges today told the state, which is yet to make any announcement regarding the exams, keeping thousands of students on tenterhooks.Most states as well as the Central boards, have cancelled their regular exams this year on account of Covid.

At a hearing on the Plus-two Board exam issue yesterday, the top court had taken note of the situation in different states, including Andhra Pradesh, which is keen to conduct both Class 10 and 12 board exams.

Advocate Mahfooz Nazki, who was representing Andhra Pradesh, had told the court that the state government has made a decision to conduct the examination in view of the improving Covid situation.

"Our stand has been the same from the beginning. We want to conduct the examinations only in the interest of the students' future," Education Minister A Suresh had said at an earlier hearing on June 17.

That day, the Supreme Court had issued notice to states that were yet to cancel their board exams.

Of 28 states, six had conducted the exams, 18 states cancelled. But four states -- Assam, Punjab, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh --- had not cancelled. Soon after, Assam, Punjab and Tripura also decided to cancel the exams.

The vacation bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari, who were hearing the issue, today approved the scheme proposed by the CBSE and CISCE to calculate the marks for students of Class 12, calling it "fair and reasonable".  An appeal by some parents and students, who initially sought an option of physical examination, was rejected.