Delhi University has decided to defer final year examinations amid rising COVID-19 cases in the city, officials said on Sunday.

The final year and final semester exams were supposed to begin from May 15 but will now begin from June 1. They will be in online mode and held in the open-book format.

"We held a meeting on Saturday with all the heads of the departments and deans. The meeting was chaired by the vice-chancellor. It was decided that the exams be postponed to June 1," D S Rawat, Dean of Examinations, DU, said.

Rawat said that the decision on exams for intermediate semesters will be taken later. Teachers and students have been demanding the deferment of exams and even cancellation.

The Delhi University Teachers' Association had written to acting vice-chancellor Professor PC Joshi over the issue. "The University must take a sensitive view of the situation that students and teachers find themselves in - no one is in a position to write or conduct examinations at this moment. Hence, we request you to consider cancelling examinations for all students and decide upon alternative means to evaluate students. Deadlines for submission of internal assessment must be extended,'' they had said in a letter dated April 30.