NEW DELHI:: The Supreme Court on Friday said that final year university exams will be conducted as per the rules of University Grants Commission. The bench made it clear that states cannot promote students without holding exams.
A three judge bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan pronounced the judgement on the students' plea against UGC. This means that all final year university exams will have to be conducted.
The court also said that if a state wants final exams to be postponed beyond UGC deadline of September 30, they have to consult the varsity body for fixing fresh date for final examination in that state as states have power under Disaster Management Act to order only postponement of exams in view of a pandemic.
On August 18, the court had reserved its order on the students' plea against the University Grants Commission's decision to make final-year exams compulsory. This plea is against UGC's July 7 decision asking institutes to conduct final year exams by September 30.
The petitioners have demanded that the final year students should also be evaluated using alternative methods as conducting exam is not feasible amid the ongoing pandemic and flood across the country.
UGC had told the top court that its July 6 directive, asking universities and colleges to conduct final year exams by September 30 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is not a diktat but states cannot take decision to confer degrees without holding the examinations.
UGC had told the court that the directive is for the benefit of students as the universities have to start admissions to postgraduate courses and state authorities cannot override the UGC's guideline.