State cannot promote students without final year exams, deadline can be altered: SC on UGC guidelines

The Supreme Court has ruled that the states cannot promote students without final year exams. However, in view of Covid-19 situation, the deadline set by UGC, i.e September 30, can be altered.

Supreme Court has pronounced its verdict on a batch of pleas challenging University Grants Commission’s (UGC) July 6 circular and seeking cancellation of final term examination in view of COVID-19 situation on Friday. A Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan has ruled that students cannot be promoted without final year exams. Exams must be held for promotion. Under the disaster management act, states can postpone exams and fix an appropriate date.

The court had reserved its judgement on August 18 and had said it will also decide whether the states will have power under the Disaster Management Act to defer final examination till situation normalises. The University Grant Commission through an affidavit had earlier told the Supreme Court that the decision of Delhi and Maharashtra government of cancelling the final term examination will ‘directly impact the standards of higher education in the country’.

The UGC has filed an affidavit on Delhi and Maharashtra governments’ stand of not conducting the final term University exams said that the UGC has taken the policy decision to conduct final year / terminal semester examinations in the interest of students across the country after duly considering the prevailing situation of a pandemic.

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The affidavit was filed in on a batch of pleas challenging UGC’s July 6 circular and seeking cancellation of final term examination in view of COVID-19 situation. Earlier, Delhi and Maharashtra governments had told the top court that they have cancelled the examination in the states.

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