While Supreme Court is hearing the arguments regarding a plea filed against conducting the final year examination, students are anxiously waiting for the apex court’s decision.
On Friday, several worried students took to Twitter to express what they felt about the delay in the decision. One student wrote, "Every student can’t be expected to have the same living conditions or the same type of resources. There are students suffering due to lack of resources. Hence, keeping in mind the conditions of these students, the exams must be cancelled. #IAmAgainst_ExamsInCovid."
While, another student said, "If degrees can’t be granted to final year students bcz they r not giving exams of one semester then how will u grant deg. to 1st and 2nd yr students when even they are missing a semester's exam."
Meanwhile, Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, appearing for some of the petitioners, said that while academics is important so is health. "Academic interest of few students can’t outweigh right to health & life of lakhs of students. MHA/UGC have overlooked alarming COVID-19 crisis, poor health infrastructure & deadly flood. Their decision to conduct final exam, is illegal & unconstitutional. SC will set it aside," he tweeted.
The Supreme Court on Monday granted time to the University Grants Commission (UGC) to respond to the affidavits filed by Maharashtra and Delhi governments, in which they submitted they will not conduct the final term exams at state universities as per the circular.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the UGC, submitted that Maharashtra and Delhi have filed an affidavit and have taken a decision that they will not conduct the examination in state universities and have cancelled the exams.
"It is against the UGC rules. UGC is the only body that can prescribe rules for conferring a degree. States cannot change rules. It's not in the interest of students to not have exams," Mehta said.
A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan, granted time to Mehta to file a response to the affidavits filed by Maharashtra and Delhi and adjourned the matter for further hearing on August 14.
