SSC exams can be held from June 8 onwards: HC

But government is free to postpone exams, if necessary, going by COVID-19 situation

Clearing decks for conducting Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams of 2020, which were postponed in March, Telangana High Court on Tuesday permitted the State government to hold the exams from June 8.

Hearing a PIL plea on SSC exams, the HC made it clear that the government should review coronavirus situation in the State on June 3 before going ahead. The government ‘shall be free to postpone the exams, if necessary, going by COVID-19 situation’ then, the bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy said in its order.

The government should inform the students immediately through print and electronic media if it decides not to hold the exams from June 8 onwards. SSC exams had begun in the State on March 19 even as reports of coronavirus positive cases began to be reported.

A day later, the HC issued orders staying the SSC exams following a PIL petition in which it was apprehended that students might fall prey to the pandemic COVID-19. Accordingly, the remaining exams to be held from March 23 were deferred indefinitely.

Subsequently, Special Chief Secretary (Education) Chitra Ramchandran filed an affidavit in the HC to vacate the stay orders, submitting that the government was ready to hold the exams taking all precautions. Advocate General B.S. Prasad said nearly 5,34,000 students were to appear for the exams. There was a sense of anxiety and fear among the students who do not know when would the postponed exams be held.

Hearing contentions of the AG and the petitioner’s counsel Kowturu Pavan Kumar, the bench observed that “students are most precious persons of this State and government has to be vigilant to protect them from getting exposed to COVID-19. Students “should not continue to exist in animated suspension” about pendency of their exams.

Vacating the stay order, the bench said students appearing for exams at smaller schools or centres, where making arrangements is difficult, should be shifted to schools having larger campuses. But students should be informed well in advance about the change in examination centres, the order said.