New Delhi: The Supreme Court today said that state governments cannot promote students without holding final year university examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the Court asked the states to approach the University Grants Commission (UGC) for an extension of the deadline by which final year exams should be completed.
After the Bench had reserved the judgement on August 18th, the order was today pronounced by a Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subshash Reddy, and MR Shah.
The University Grant Commission through an affidavit had earlier told the Supreme Court that the decision of Delhi and Maharashtra government of cancelling the final term examination will ‘directly impact the standards of higher education in the country’.
The UGC has filed an affidavit on Delhi and Maharashtra governments’ stand of not conducting the final term University exams said that the UGC has taken the policy decision to conduct final year / terminal semester examinations in the interest of students across the country after duly considering the prevailing situation of a pandemic.
The affidavit was filed in on a batch of pleas challenging UGC’s July 6 circular and seeking cancellation of final term examination in view of COVID-19 situation.
Earlier, Delhi and Maharashtra governments had told the top court that they have cancelled the examination in the states.
