New Delhi: The Central government is set to take the final call in the next two days on whether to hold class XII board exams amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Attorney General KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court on Monday.
The Attorney General’s statements came after the court asked if the Centre decides to depart from the last year’s policy, wherein the remaining board exams were cancelled due to the pandemic, then it must give “tangible reasons” for it.
“No issue. You take the decision. You are entitled to it. If you are departing from the policy of last year, then you must give tangible reasons for it,” the bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari told Venugopal.
The top court said, “If you are departing from that policy, please give us good reasons so that we can examine it,” while observing that the last year’s decision was taken following deliberations.
On June 26 last year, the schemes of the CBSE and CISCE for cancellations of remaining board examinations scheduled from July 1 to 15 last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic was approved by the apex court while also endorsing their formula for assessment of examinees.
“The government will take a final decision within the next two days. We are hoping that your lordships will give us time till Thursday (June 3) so that we can come back with the final decision,” the Attorney General told the bench during the hearing conducted via video-conferencing on Monday.
According to Venugopal, last year the board exams for some papers were over before the COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown was imposed in March.
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