The Supreme Court has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to expedite the declaration of Class XII Improvement Examination results, instructing the board to present a concrete plan by Friday. The bench, comprising Justices Manmohan and Vijay Bishnoi, issued the order on Monday after hearing a petition filed by an Indian student residing in Saudi Arabia.
The court noted that any further delay in announcing the results could disrupt college admissions for students in West Asian countries. The petitioner had sought a directive from the court compelling CBSE to release his improvement exam results, arguing that the prolonged wait was jeopardising his academic future.
During the hearing, the counsel representing CBSE requested additional time to respond to the petition. However, the bench refused the request and scheduled the next hearing for June 12. The court remarked, “If needed, then burn the midnight oil, but do it by Friday,” emphasising the urgency of the matter.
Advocate Raj Kishor Choudhary, appearing for the petitioner, informed the bench that the non-declaration of results had seriously harmed the student’s academic career. The student had already applied for university admission, and the absence of results threatened to deny him the opportunity to complete the enrollment process.
The petition highlighted that the student’s result status was shown as ‘RL (result later)’ without any explanation. Despite multiple representations and reminders to the board, no response was received, leaving the student with no alternative but to approach the court.
The court also acknowledged the broader hardships faced by thousands of students in West Asian countries due to ongoing conflict. In response, the government had previously issued a notification outlining an assessment scheme, under which marks for cancelled examinations would be calculated based on performance in quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board exams.
The petitioner specifically requested that the board either assess the cancelled subjects according to the assessment scheme or allow him to appear for special examinations under Clause 18 of the scheme. The court has now directed CBSE to come up with a solution by Friday to safeguard the interests of the petitioner and other similarly affected students.
