The Supreme Court asked the CBSE to decide on the schedule of the Board examination by next week, keeping the pandemic in mind.

A group of parents whose children are to take the Class 12 examination had moved the court challenging the decision of CBSE to hold the examination for the remaining papers from 1 to 15 July. They argued that commuting to take the test amid the pandemic could seriously jeopardize their health.

In response, a bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, Dinesh Maheshwari and Sanjeev Khanna directed the CBSE to consider the situation and revert in a week’s time. The petitioners requested cancellation of the remaining papers, arguing that marks could be allotted on the basis of performance in internal assessment.

The petitioners criticized the decision of the CBSE to hold the remaining papers in July as discriminatory and arbitrary, a time when the pandemic would be at its peak. They asked for a stay on the commencement of the examination from 1 July.

The Ministry of Human Resource and Development announced the examinations for Classes 10 and 12 on 25 May. The examinations would be held across 15,000 examination centres instead of 3,000, which were used earlier.

The petition said that ensuring cleanliness and safety standards across so many centres would be far-fetched and an “exercise in futility”, “risking [the] health and life of children.”

“Moreover, even if it is to be assumed that 50% of the cases are asymptomatic then, the students appearing for these exams could also be potential carriers themselves, posing a great risk to the other family members and themselves,” the petitioners said.

The petitioners also said that every parent cannot afford a private vehicle to send their children to the examination centres, leaving them to use public transport, which would increase the risk of infection.