The Supreme Court issued notice to CBSE on a plea by a Saudi Arabia-based student seeking declaration of his Class XII Improvement Examination result. Concerned about the impact on his higher education opportunities, the Court directed urgent consideration, observing that the matter concerns the student’s academic future and admissions.
The Supreme Court issued notice to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a petition filed by an overseas student from Saudi Arabia seeking declaration of his Class XII Improvement Examination result. The Court agreed to examine the grievance and scheduled the matter for hearing on Friday, taking note of the potential impact on the student’s higher education prospects and admission opportunities.
The petition has been filed by Pransu Jigarkumar, a private candidate who appeared for the CBSE Class XII Improvement Examination from Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. He challenged the Board’s decision not to declare his result despite CBSE having formulated a special assessment mechanism for students whose examinations in several Gulf countries were disrupted and cancelled due to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
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The controversy stems from the extraordinary circumstances that affected CBSE examinations in parts of the Gulf region during the 2026 examination cycle. Owing to escalating regional tensions and security concerns, examinations in multiple West Asian countries were cancelled midway. In response, CBSE introduced a special assessment scheme to evaluate affected students and ensure that they were not prejudiced by circumstances beyond their control.
However, according to the petitioner, uncertainty remains regarding the applicability of this assessment framework to private candidates who had appeared for improvement examinations. While CBSE declared the Class XII results on May 13, 2026, the petitioner’s result was withheld and his status was displayed as “R.L. (Result Later)”.
The petitioner contended that despite repeated concerns, the Board had not clarified whether private candidates whose examinations were cancelled due to war-related disruptions would be covered under the alternative assessment mechanism. He argued that students appearing as private candidates should not be excluded from the benefit of the scheme merely because they were not enrolled through regular schools.
Before approaching the Supreme Court, the student had moved the Delhi High Court seeking appropriate directions. However, the High Court declined to entertain the plea, prompting him to seek relief before the apex court.
The matter came up before a vacation bench comprising Justice Manmohan and Justice Vijay Bishnoi. During the hearing, Justice Manmohan initially observed that the petitioner ought to have first pursued his remedy before the Delhi High Court. Nevertheless, the Court proceeded to consider the issue after hearing submissions from both sides.
Appearing for CBSE, counsel informed the Court that the special assessment scheme depended upon evaluation records supplied by schools. Since the petitioner was a private candidate and not attached to any educational institution, no such assessment records were available in his case. This, according to the Board, created difficulties in extending the same assessment formula to him.
The Court, however, expressed concern over the consequences of continued delay in declaring the student’s result. Justice Manmohan suggested that CBSE could explore the possibility of relying on the petitioner’s previous academic records or adopting another suitable mechanism to assess his performance.
When CBSE sought additional time to obtain instructions, stating that “CBSE is already overworked,”,
Justice Manmohan responded firmly, underscoring the urgency of the matter,
“This is about the career of a child; he will miss all his admissions…Whatever it is, burn the midnight oil.”
The Bench directed CBSE to obtain clear instructions and respond by the next date of hearing.
According to the petition, Pransu Jigarkumar had originally appeared for the CBSE Class XII Board Examination in 2025 and subsequently registered as a private candidate for the 2026 Improvement Examination to improve his scores. He successfully completed examinations in Physics and Chemistry. However, his Mathematics, English and Computer Science examinations could not be conducted after authorities cancelled several examinations in the Gulf region due to the deteriorating security situation arising from the West Asia conflict.
The case raises important questions regarding the treatment of private candidates during extraordinary circumstances and whether emergency assessment schemes introduced by educational authorities must be applied equally to all categories of students affected by examination disruptions. The Supreme Court’s decision is expected to have implications not only for the petitioner but also for other similarly situated candidates whose academic futures remain uncertain due to the cancellation of examinations in conflict-affected regions.
The matter will now be taken up on Friday, when CBSE is expected to place its stand before the Court regarding the applicability of its special assessment scheme to private candidates appearing in improvement examinations.
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