Supreme Court will next hear the petitions challenging its guidelines to conduct exams for final year students, on August 18. The petitions by 31 student petitioners, a student named Yash Dubey, another student Krushna Waghmare and Shiv Sen's youth wing Yuva Sena respectively were heard by three judges, Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah.
Previously, the UGC in its letter had said that states have no right to call off examinations, against its guidelines. Representing Yuva Sena, advocate Shyam Divan stated that conducting examinations will cause a threat to students' lives. He added that it will be impossible, considering a lot of colleges are quarantine centres and the Ministry of Home Affairs hasn't allowed schools and colleges to reopen under the Unlock III guidelines. He added that the number of COVID cases were just over 1,000 when the exams were postponed.
Representing Yash Dubey, senior advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi said argued that the decision to conduct examinations is against Article 14 of the constitution. "It is important to keep in mind Article 14. Different students different have access levels. The exam is not an end in itself. Exams must happen after teaching," he said, adding "How can there be exams without teaching?” He also said the guidelines are 'completely mindless'.
