Supreme Court sides with UGC, says no cancellation of final exams amid COVID: Maharashtra, Bengal, Delhi cannot 'COVID promote' students

The Supreme Court of India on Friday disposed off four writ petitions seeking the cancellation of final year examinations and challenging the latest University Grants Commission to hold exams before September 30. The verdict was pronounced by a bench of justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah.

While disposing the writs filed by 31 students across universities, a student Yash Dubey, another student Krushna Wagmare and Shiv Sena's youth wing Yuva Sena, the bench noted that no state in the country can promote its students without conducting final year examinations. "The decision of the state to promote students is beyond the jurisdiction and has to give way to UGC," ruled the court. This will mean that the decisions of the Maharashtra, Delhi and West Bengal governments to promote their students based on past performances will be invalid. However, these states can apply for an extension to conduct these examinations, with the UGC,

At the same time, the court noted that the "directions of State Disaster Management Authorities for cancelling exams in that particular states will prevail over the UGC directions." But at the same time, the direction of the State Disaster Management Authority to pass the students on the basis of previous performance is beyond the scope of the Disaster Management Act.