All Eyes On Supreme Court: Verdict On Final-Year Exams On Friday Morning

New Delhi: All eyes will be on the Supreme Court on Friday morning when it delivers the judgment on a batch of petitions seeking scrapping of final year/terminal semester university examinations.

A three-judge bench, headed by justice Ashok Bhushan, will pronounce its verdict at 10.30 am.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) last month directed universities across the country to hold final-year examinations by September 30. Faced with opposition from all quarters, UGC argued that the future of students will be jeopardized if examinations are not held.

Petitioners have asked the apex court to consider scrapping online/offline final-year examinations keeping in mind the threat posed by the raging COVID-19 pandemic and direct results to be declared based on the basis of past performance and internal assessment.

Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have cancelled final-year exams, while the Odisha government has said it will abide by the Supreme Court verdict.

The UGC has maintained that degrees cannot be conferred on graduating students without holding final-year examinations.

“State governments cannot cancel examinations. That power lies with the UGC,” solicitor general Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of UGC, told the top court on August 8.

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