SC seeks CBSE response on plea by Saudi-based student over withheld Class 12 improvement exam result
New Delhi, June 8
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to the Central Board of Secondary Education and its Regional Officer in Dubai on a plea filed by a Class 12 student from Saudi Arabia seeking the declaration of his result, which continues to remain withheld despite a special assessment scheme framed for students affected by examination cancellations in West Asian countries.
A bench of Justices Manmohan and Vijay Bishnoi issued notice to the CBSE and its Regional Officer, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and posted the matter for further hearing on June 12.
During the hearing, counsel appearing for the CBSE informed the apex court that the assessment of the student, Pransu Jigarkumar Patel, was required to be carried out by the school concerned. However, since the petitioner appeared as a private candidate, no such assessment record was available.
In response, the Justice Manmohan-led Bench orally observed that the petitioner's past academic records could be considered and asked the CBSE's counsel to obtain instructions in the matter by Friday.
The CBSE counsel informed the Supreme Court that the Board was already working on the issue and sought time till Monday. The top court, however, listed the matter for hearing on June 12.
The writ petition, filed under Article 32 of the Constitution by Patel, contended that the non-declaration of his result has jeopardised his higher education prospects and deprived him of admission opportunities.
According to the plea, Patel appeared as a private candidate in the CBSE Class 12 Improvement Examination, 2026, from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia in the subjects of physics, chemistry, mathematics, English, and computer science.
The petition stated that during the examination period, the CBSE cancelled several examinations, including mathematics, English, and computer science, due to war-related tensions and security concerns prevailing in the Gulf region.
Recognising the disruption faced by students in West Asian countries, the CBSE had issued an assessment scheme on March 27 for the declaration of Class 12 results in the affected region. The scheme provided for evaluation based on Quarterly, Half-Yearly and Pre-Board Examination performance and also contemplated the conduct of special examinations, wherever necessary.
However, when the CBSE declared the Class 12 results on May 13, the petitioner's result was not announced, and his status was reflected as "R.L. (Result Later)". The plea said that despite repeated representations to the CBSE seeking the declaration of the result under the assessment scheme or permission to appear in a special examination, no response was received, and the result continued to remain withheld.
It added that the continued withholding of the result has caused serious prejudice to the petitioner's academic career, as he has been unable to complete the admission process for a B.Tech programme and apply to other institutions.
The petition alleged that the action of the authorities was arbitrary, unreasonable, and discriminatory, violating the petitioner's fundamental rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. Seeking urgent intervention, the plea filed, through advocate Vineet Jindal, has sought directions to the CBSE to declare the Class 12 Improvement Examination result by applying the assessment scheme issued for West Asian countries. In the alternative, it has sought directions for conducting a special examination for the cancelled subjects and the grant of consequential reliefs.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The court is right to push CBSE for a quick decision. Private candidates exist for a reason, and the board cannot simply ignore their academic records. Hope the student gets his result soon. 🤞
While I empathise with the student, CBSE's policy seems clear—private candidates need school records. But the board should have communicated earlier. The delay is causing unnecessary stress.
Arre yaar, this is a classic case of bureaucracy hurting students. The judiciary is doing its job, but CBSE should have resolved this without court intervention. India's education system needs to be more student-friendly, especially for diaspora students.
I understand the private candidate issue, but the assessment scheme was specifically made for Gulf students. It should apply to him. The result holdup is jeopardising his B.Tech admission—that's serious. 😔
Honestly, CBSE should allow a special exam for him. The war tension was beyond anyone's control. But the board dragging its feet is frustrating. Supreme Court intervention was necessary here. Kudos to the judiciary for acting swiftly.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.