Amid the pandemic and the deadly delta plus variant of the virus' presence in the state, Kerala on Tuesday had informed the Supreme Court that it will go ahead and conduct the Class XI examinations offline. This was in connection with the hearing of a petition in the court, that sought the cancellation of all state board examinations.

Hearing the matter on Thursday, Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari questioned the state on the practical difficulties of conducting the examination for the students, given that all of them have already started attending Class XII, online. "In the midst of studying for Class XII, they’re being asked to appear for the Class XI exam. We are suggesting, if it’s possible, that 15 days time may be provided for preparation and that be exclusive for preparation," said the bench. "Time can be given to students, without affecting the Class XII preparation," it noted.

READ ALSO: Don't waste time: Not going to direct uniform schemes for each state, says Supreme Court​

While the matter will be heard at length on Friday, the court said that "even one fatality will hold the state responsible." The state had already conducted its Class XII examinations, early in April. The hearing was based on a petition by a Mumbai-based lawyer Anubha Shrivastava Sahai and an intervention application by another lawyer Mamta Sharma, seeking cancellation of all state board exams.