The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the CBSE to take a decision on rescheduling board exams to be held in centres of violence-hit northeast Delhi by 5 pm and to inform the public by 6 pm.
Justice Rajiv Shakdher told the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) that the rescheduling of postponed exams is to be done keeping in mind entrance tests of class 12 students.
"Take decision on board exams in northeast Delhi centres to be held on Feb 27, 28 and 29 by 5 pm and inform public by 6 pm," said Justice Shakdher.
The court said the situation is in northeast Delhi has only worsened.
The direction by the court came after the CBSE on Wednesday said the exams in 86 schools in the violence-hit northeast Delhi have been postponed.
The court said class 10 and 12 students, who have board examination centres in these areas need to be informed in one go about the schedule for the next 10 to 15 days and not on piecemeal basis.
The court said that the situation is worsening and there have been more deaths and therefore, CBSE needs to take a call for the next 10 to 15 days.
At least 20 people have been killed and over 180 injured in communal clashes in northeast Delhi over the last three days related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
The court was hearing a plea by a private school, Bhai Parmanand Vidya Mandir, at Surya Niketan in east Delhi, and some of its class 10 and 12 students saying the centre allotted to them by the CBSE was 16 km away from their school and situated in Chandu Nagar-Karawal Nagar road, one of the violence-hit areas.
They said it was hard for them to reach at the Centre due to violent clashes and riots in the area.
They have urged the court to direct the CBSE to change the examination centre from New Sandhya Public School to a centre located in east Delhi district with proper infrastructure and security.
The court on Tuesday, while hearing the matter, had said that safety of children cannot be put at risk and had asked the CBSE to decide at the earliest on rescheduling Wednesday's board exam at the centre in question.
The court had also said that it was of a prima facie opinion that the exam cannot be held at the Chandu Nagar Centre in view of the inputs given by the senior police officials.
The registrar general of the high court on Tuesday had informed the court that as per the inputs of police officials of the area concerned, the situation was tense.
The court had said it was looking at the issue from the aspect of children's safety which cannot be put at risk.
The plea, filed through advocate Kamal Gupta, said the "violent clashes and riots have posed a serious threat and danger to the life of the students and their parents, in as much as they have no option but to reach the centre come what may be the situation of the area around the centre; reaching the centre not only involves mental agony, trauma and stress for the students and their parents, but also poses grave and palpable threat to the life and limb".
The plea said when the school had come to know about the Centre allotted to it, they had written to the CBSE pointing out that the examination centre is 16 km away from the school and the time taken to reach there is more than 40 minutes.
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