HYDERABAD: In a significant development, the State government on Tuesday informed the Telangana High Court about its decision to postpone all the Common Entrance Tests (CETs), including EAMCET, POLYCET, ICET, ECET and PGCET, and other examinations scheduled to be held from July 1 due to the spike in Covid-19 cases in the State. Fresh dates for these examinations will be announced later.
State Advocate General BS Prasad made this submission before a division bench of the Court comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice B Vijaysen Reddy, dealing with a PIL filed by State NSUI president B Venkat Narsing Rao. The NSUI chief sought postponement of all the examinations scheduled from July 1 and to promote all the students to next semester or academic year without conducting examinations for undergraduate, postgraduate and other diploma courses, including typewriting and shorthand examinations. Asked whether the government is planning to impose a lockdown again, the Advocate General told the court that it is for the State Cabinet to take a decision on the issue.
HC asks TS govt’s opinion on cancelling UG, PG exams
The Cabinet is likely to meet in a day or two, the Advocate General added. During the course of hearing, petitioner’s counsel C Damodar Reddy told the court that the State has been making efforts to conduct CETs 2020, final-year exams of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, apart from typewriting and shorthand exams, despite the re being a steep increase in Covid- 19 cases across the State. The lives of students will be at peril if these exams are not postponed, he added and urged the court to direct the State to promote the students who are due to appear for these exams.
When the bench sought the State’s reply, the AG sought some time to respond on the issue as the State Chief Secretary has to get the latest information pertaining to the above exams from all the departments concerned. When the case hearing resumed at 2.30 pm, the AG informed about the State’s decision to postpone all the CETs. After recording the AG’s statement, the bench directed the State to inform about its opinion on cancelling finalyear UG and PG exams by July 9.
The bench declined the petitioner’s counsel plea to promote all the students, more specifically those who will appear for typewriting and shorthand exams, on the ground that these are technical subjects and only those who perform well will be declared selected. The bench posted the matter to July 9 for further hearing.