A recommendation said to have been approved by CBSE’s own committee in November 2024 has brought the question of calculators in Class XII exams before the Delhi High Court, which on Wednesday issued notice to the Board, NCERT and the Central government and gave them six weeks to reply.
New Delhi: CBSE, NCERT and the Union government have six weeks to respond to a public interest litigation by parents who want basic calculators permitted in Class XII board examinations, including in subjects such as Mathematics and Accountancy. The Delhi High Court issued notice on the plea on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, without expressing any view on its merits [Vishal Dua & Ors. v. Central Board of Secondary Education & Ors.].
The Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma issued the notice and fixed the six-week window for CBSE, NCERT and the Union government to file their responses.
A recommendation the petition says was never notified
The plea states that CBSE’s own Curriculum Committee approved the use of basic calculators in Class XII Accountancy examinations at its 70th meeting on November 25 and 26, 2024, and that the recommendation was placed before the Board’s Governing Body at its 140th meeting in December 2024, but has not been notified or implemented since.
According to the petition, the parents tried to find out whether the proposal had been finally notified but found nothing in the public domain. It says:
“The plain fact is that CBSE’s own Curriculum Committee has already approved this change in writing, in its own official record in November 2024 and this record was placed before CBSE’s own Governing Body in December 2024, and CBSE has simply not bothered to notify or implement a decision that its own Committee has already taken, for nearly two years now.”
Who is before the Court
The petition was filed by Vishal Dua, a resident of Pitampura, on behalf of himself and 10 other parents, through advocate Nitin Mangla. It argues that students in calculation-heavy papers are forced to spend a large part of the examination time on lengthy manual arithmetic, leaving them less time to show their understanding of concepts.
The parents contend that the failure to act on the committee’s recommendation is arbitrary and violates Article 14 of the Constitution. They also point out that boards such as CISCE, Cambridge IGCSE and the International Baccalaureate allow calculators under regulated conditions.
CBSE, NCERT and the Centre are yet to file their replies, and their stand on the plea is not yet on record.
What the case will test
Lakhs of students take CBSE’s Class XII examinations every year, and the use of calculators directly affects how papers in Accountancy and Mathematics are set and answered. The case asks whether a board can leave a recommendation of its own expert committee unimplemented without a decision either way. So far the Court has only sought replies; whether CBSE has reasons for not acting, and whether any relief is warranted, will be examined once the authorities respond.
Case Title: Vishal Dua & Ors. v. Central Board of Secondary Education & Ors.
Bench: Acting Chief Justice Nitin Wasudeo Sambre and Justice Sanjay Sharma, Delhi High Court
Date of Hearing: November 4, 2026
Appearance: Advocate Nitin Mangla for the Petitioners