SC Seeks Response From Centre On Plea By Gulf Students’ Against CBSE Assessment Scheme
The top court directed the Centre and Department of Higher Education to respond to writ petition filed by students from CBSE-affiliated schools in Gulf countries.
Published : July 8, 2026 at 7:33 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and CBSE on a plea by Class XII students in Gulf countries. The petition challenges the board’s special assessment scheme, claiming it slashed marks and jeopardised higher education prospects after exams were cancelled amid regional tensions.
The matter came up before a bench comprising Justices K V Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe. The apex court directed the Centre and the Department of Higher Education to respond to the writ petition filed by Adithian Rajmohan Nair and 29 other students from CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. The students were represented by advocate Raj Kishore Choudhary.
The plea contended that during the examination period, the entire GCC/West Asian region experienced severe geopolitical instability, regional conflict, security concerns, uncertainty regarding the continuation of examinations, disruption of normal life and widespread psychological distress affecting students and their families.
The plea contended that the prejudice suffered by affected students was not confined only to the subjects whose examinations were cancelled. “The extraordinary circumstances prevailing throughout the region adversely affected the entire examination process and the overall academic performance of students,” it said.
“Students were compelled to prepare for and appear in high-stakes Board examinations amidst war-related tensions, security concerns, uncertainty regarding future examinations, airspace disruptions, emergency advisories and continuous anxiety regarding the safety of themselves and their families,” it added.
The petitioners contended that the CBSE’s “Assessment Scheme for Declaration of Results of Class XII in West Asian Countries,” issued on March 27, 2026, has caused serious prejudice by relying solely on school-level quarterly, half-yearly, and pre-board examinations for cancelled papers.
The plea said at no stage prior to commencement of the examination process were students informed that quarterly, half-yearly, or pre-board examinations would become determinative of their final board results. “The retrospective reliance upon pre-board examinations and periodic assessments has caused serious prejudice,” said the plea.
The plea said pre-board examinations are universally recognised as preparatory assessments intended to identify academic weaknesses and assist students in improving performance before the final board examinations. The plea added that such examinations are not designed to function as substitutes for the final board examinations.
The plea said that historically, students demonstrate significant improvement between pre-board assessments and the actual board examinations after focused preparation during the final months of Class XII.
The plea said that the impugned assessment methodology, therefore, resulted in a distorted evaluation of merit and failed to accurately reflect the actual academic capability and board-level preparedness of affected students. “As a direct consequence, numerous students have suffered a substantial reduction in aggregate percentages, many have been declared compartment candidates and several students who would otherwise have secured significantly higher marks have been deprived of opportunities for higher education,” it said.
The plea settled by advocate Vineet Jindal described the scheme as arbitrary, unreasonable and violative of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
“The consequences are particularly severe because Class XII marks constitute a critical criterion for admissions under various professional and higher educational schemes, including DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad), CIWG (Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries), engineering admissions, university admissions and other professional courses,” said the plea.
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