The Bench comprising Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe issued notice on the petition after being informed that while the Central Board of Secondary Education has notified compartment examinations commencing on July 28, no corresponding schedule has been announced for students from the Gulf Cooperation Council and West Asian countries. The Court directed that a copy of the petition be served on the Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and posted the matter for further hearing on July 14.
The petition has been filed by class XII students from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The students contend that the special assessment scheme notified by CBSE on March 27, which relied on quarterly, half‑yearly and pre‑board examinations to determine final results after certain board examinations could not be conducted, was not adequately communicated to them. As a result, many students have been declared failed or placed in the compartment category, which adversely affects their eligibility for university admissions in India and abroad.
The petition seeks several forms of relief. It requests the Court to direct CBSE to conduct special fresh and improvement examinations for the affected students. It also seeks an order granting compensatory moderation or grace marks to those whose results were determined solely through internal assessments. Additionally, the petition asks for relaxations in the admission criteria under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad scheme and the Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries scheme, so that the students’ prospects for higher education are not prejudiced by the disruption caused by the conflict.
The Bench noted that the issues raised in the present petition are substantially similar to those in an earlier matter in which notice had been issued on a plea by a class XII private candidate from Saudi Arabia whose three improvement examinations were cancelled due to the same regional disruption. Consequently, the Court tagged both petitions together and listed them for joint hearing on July 14.
The students are represented by advocates Raj Kishore Choudhary and Vineet Jindal. The Court’s order reflects its consideration of the students’ claim that the lack of a compartment examination schedule for Gulf‑based candidates creates an inequity compared with their counterparts in India, where such examinations have been scheduled.
By seeking the responses of the Union government and CBSE, the Supreme Court has signalled its intention to examine whether the board’s current assessment and examination framework adequately addresses the difficulties faced by students residing in conflict‑affected regions. The forthcoming hearing will allow the parties to present their positions on the feasibility of conducting special examinations, the appropriateness of awarding grace marks, and the necessity of adjusting admission‑related concessions for the affected cohort.
The outcome of the proceedings may influence how national educational bodies respond to extraordinary circumstances that disrupt standard examination schedules, particularly for Indian curriculum students abroad. The Court’s scrutiny will focus on ensuring that the rights of students to a fair assessment and to continued access to higher education are not compromised by external events beyond their control.