Delhi HC Refuses To Hear Plea Seeking Internal Assessment Criteria

BACKGROUND

• Due to the ongoing pandemic, CBSE has cancelled all Class X exams in April and in May, it announced the policy for schools to tabulate the results.
• It is left upon the schools to upload the marks by June 30 on the link provided by CBSE.
• The application before Delhi High Court was on the PIL under which the court has issued notice to the CBSE and the Centre.

PLEA BEFORE THE HIGH COURT

• The plea was filed by NGO ‘Justice for All’ an organization of lawyers and social activists through Advocates Shikha Sharma and Khargesh B. Jha.
• The plea was seeking a direction to CBSE to publish the rationale document on Class X assessment criteria before uploading the results.
• They also plead for establishing a grievance redressal mechanism for students in case of any discrepancies in the marks.

SUBMISSION BY THE PETITIONER

• The petitioner prayed that the Court should direct all the schools affiliated by CBSE to publish the rationale document for the criteria used by schools for the assessment of students.
• It stated that the Government should look at the illegality and absurdity of CBSE, where rather than evaluating the students by themselves, it has left the students at the mercy of the schools.
• It further added that in case of any mistake in entry by the teacher, the students will have to suffer in the cost of their academic career and there is no machinery to redress their grievances.

ORDER

• The Vacation Bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Navin Chawla expressed unhappiness with the petitioner for approaching the regular bench at the eleventh hour and refused to entertain the plea.
• After some argument, the plea was withdrawn by the petitioner and it stood dismissed.
• The Court gave permission to the petitioner to file a plea seeking an early hearing before the roster Bench.

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