The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to direct the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to reopen its on-screen verification portal for Class XII answer sheets after the notified correction window had closed. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymala Bagchi and Justice V Mohana dismissed the plea after hearing arguments from both sides.
During the proceedings, counsel for the petitioners contended that technical glitches on the CBSE website had prevented some students from submitting their applications for on-screen verification within the stipulated time. They sought a fresh one-week window, arguing that only a limited number of candidates had been affected and that reopening the portal would not cause significant prejudice to the board or other stakeholders.
The Chief Justice, however, questioned the basis for judicial intervention, remarking that if a candidate did not utilise the facility during the notified period, they could not seek redress after the deadline had passed. He used the analogy of missing a bus to emphasise that the verification window had been open to all eligible students for a specified duration and that the opportunity to avail of it had been uniformly provided.
The bench expressed concern that acceding to the request would open the floodgates to similar pleas in the future. The Chief Justice observed that granting a fresh window today would likely lead to revival of claims by thousands or even lakhs of students tomorrow, thereby undermining the finality of the examination process.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for CBSE, informed the court that 1.68 lakh students had successfully availed themselves of the on-screen verification facility during the notified period. He also highlighted that the Delhi High Court had already dismissed a similar challenge, reinforcing the board’s position that the process had been conducted fairly and in accordance with the notified schedule.
The court further noted that admissions based on the CBSE Class XII results had already been completed, making it impractical and inequitable to reopen the verification process at this stage. Any alteration to the results after admissions could disrupt the academic calendar and create uncertainty for students, institutions and administrative bodies involved in the admission process.
After considering the submissions, the bench concluded that there was no justification for judicial intervention. The court stated that there was no reason to interfere with the CBSE’s notified schedule for on-screen verification, especially when the facility had been accessible to all candidates during the prescribed window and a substantial number had utilised it.
The Supreme Court accordingly dismissed the plea seeking direction to CBSE to reopen the portal for a fresh week of on-screen verification. The order affirmed that the correction window, once closed, could not be revived through judicial direction merely on the allegation of technical difficulties faced by some applicants, particularly when the board had demonstrated widespread and successful access during the original period.