Madras High Court on Thursday directed the School Education Department to conduct COVID-19 tests on physically and mentally challenged candidates who are appearing for the Class X private exams from September 21 and also their scribes prior to the commencement of examinations.

A division bench of Justice MM Sundresh and Justice R Hemalatha issued the directions in response to a petition filed by the father of a cerebral palsy student who sought for quashing the government order that called for examinations for private class X children.

The court also said that the guidelines issued by the state were for all the students and it did not specify anything for the special children.

According to the petitioner, S Balakrishnan of Trichy, the government has failed to see that disabled candidates have weak immune systems and biological adaptation mechanisms during a pandemic and conduct of an exam without accounting for these difficulties is violative of their rights.

Counsel for the petitioner argued that all the students in class X have been declared pass by the state and a mechanism has to be created even for private candidates including the disabled to pass them in the examinations.

The state argued that exams will be held as per guidelines and there will not be any hindrance to the special children as stated by the petitioner. The court issuing the directions to the state disposed of the plea