New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Monday, ordered a stay on declaring results for board examinations for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 in Karnataka and criticized the state government for persisting in holding such examinations. The top court expressed concern that the Karnataka government’s actions were jeopardizing the future of students and causing hardships for parents, teachers, and school management.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal suspended the operation of the Karnataka High Court’s division bench order dated March 22, which had permitted the state government to proceed with the examinations. The court issued a notice to the state government on a petition filed by the Registered Unaided Private Schools Management Association Karnataka, seeking its response within two weeks. The bench also remarked that the High Court’s order was prima facie not in line with the Right to Education Act. Consequently, the court ordered that the results of the board examinations be kept in abeyance. The bench directed that evaluation and results would be stayed, and parents would not be informed about the results. The results would not be utilized for any purpose whatsoever.
Earlier on March 22, a division bench comprising Justice K Somashekar and Justice Rajesh Rai K had directed the state government to resume the examinations while upholding notifications regarding Summative Assessment examination/board exams for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11. The bench overturned the order of the single bench and instructed the state government to conduct the remaining assessments for classes 5, 8, and 9 as well as to resume the process.
The Supreme Court had previously, on March 12, set aside an interim order of the HC’s division bench allowing the state government to conduct board exams for the summative assessment of students of classes 5, 8, and 9 as per the schedule. The court strongly criticized the Karnataka government’s counsel, stating, “You have spoiled the entire education system of the country and now you want to complicate it. Please do not do that.”
The court had urged the division bench to expeditiously decide the main appeals in accordance with the law. Earlier, a single judge had quashed the state’s decision to hold board exams for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 from the academic year 2023-24, stating that the decision was made without following the due process of law prescribed under the Karnataka Education Act, 1983.
