Karnataka board exam row: SC raps state govt, orders stay on results for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, April 08, 2024: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered stay on declaring results for board examinations for classes for 5, 8, 9, and 11 and criticised the Karnataka government for being "bent upon" holding such examinations.

 

The top court said that the Karnataka government is playing with the future of students and causing hardships to parents, teachers and school management. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal suspended the operation of the Karnataka High Court’s division bench March 22 order which permitted the state government to go ahead with the examinations.

The court issued notice to the state government on a petition filed by the Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association Karnataka, seeking its response within two weeks.

The bench also felt the High Court’s order was prima facie not in consonance with the Right to Education Act. The court ordered the results of the board examinations should be kept in abeyance.

The bench directed the evaluation and results would be stayed and the parents would not be informed about the results. The results would not be used for any purpose whatsoever.

On March 22, a division bench comprising Justice K Somashekar and Justice Rajesh Rai K directed the state government to resume the examinations, while upholding the notifications pertaining Summative Assessment examination/board exams for classes 5, 8, 9 and 11.

The bench set aside the order of the single bench and directed the state government to hold the remaining assessment for classes 5, 8 and 9 as well as to resume the process.

On March 12, the Supreme Court had set aside an interim order of the HC’s division bench order allowing the state government to conduct board exams for the summative assessment of students of classes 5, 8, and 9 as per the schedule.

"You have spoiled the entire education system of the country and now you want to complicate it. Please do not do that," the top court told the Karnataka government counsel in strong observations.

The court had then asked the division bench to decide main appeals in accordance with law as expeditiously as possible.

The single judge had earlier quashed the state’s decision to hold board exams for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 from the academic year 2023-24. The high court declared that said decision was taken without following the due process of law as prescribed under the provisions of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.