The Supreme Court on Friday said that final year university exams must be conducted. States, however, can ask the UGC for extension of its September 30 deadline.
Upholding the UGC decision to hold final year exams, a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said if any state feels they can't conduct exams by September 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic, they must approach the UGC for new dates to hold the exam.
The bench also comprising justices R S Reddy and M R Shah, said states are required to hold final year exams as per UGC guidelines and for any exemption they will have to seek permission.
“States can postpone final year exams under Disaster Management Act but fresh dates have to be fixed in consultation with UGC,” the court said.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday reserved its order on the UGC matter. It also asked all the parties to present written submissions within three days.
The recent UGC Guidelines made it mandatory for all the universities to conduct the final year exams by September 30, in online, offline, or blended mode. However, after the Supreme Court's judgment, the September 30 deadline is no longer valid.
Final year university exams are mandatory but it is not compulsory to be held before September 30. States can ask UGC for extension of the deadline, the court said.
The UGC Guidelines also allows the promotion of intermediate students on the basis of internal assessment and previous semester marks.
Students with back-logs, according to UGC, should “compulsorily” take the examinations. In case, a student is unable to appear the examination in September, should be provided with the opportunity to appear in “special exams” held for the purpose as a-one time measure.
Yuva Sena, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena, one of the petitioners in the Supreme Court, questioned the UGC's directive to hold examinations amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The UGC had earlier said that the July 6 guidelines are based on recommendations of experts and have been made after due deliberation and it is wrong to claim that it will not be possible to conduct the final examinations in terms of the guidelines.
Assailing the decisions of some states like Maharashtra and Delhi to cancel final year examinations, the UGC had said that such decisions directly affect standards of higher education and will be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of higher education that is exclusively reserved for Parliament under Schedule VII of the Constitution.
