The Supreme Court issued a stay on the Karnataka High Court’s order regarding the conduct of board exams for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11. The High Court’s order had faced criticism for its potential impact on students’ futures and educational institutions. The stay order by the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the High Court’s directive until further orders were issued.
![[BREAKING] SC Stays Karnataka HC Order on Conduct of Board Exams for Classes 5, 8, 9, and 11](https://i0.wp.com/lawchakra.in/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/MicrosoftTeams-image-5.png?resize=820%2C513&ssl=1)
NEW DELHI: Today (8th April): The Supreme Court issued a stay order on a Karnataka High Court judgment upholding the conduct of board examinations for classes 5, 8, 9, and 11 in schools affiliated with the Karnataka State Education Board (KSEAB).
The bench of Justices Bela M. Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal stayed the declaration of results for these exams, which had resumed following the Karnataka High Court’s directions last month. Advocates KV Dhananjay and A Velan represented the appellants before the Supreme Court.
The stay order comes in response to an appeal challenging the Karnataka High Court’s decision on March 22.
The Supreme Court expressed concerns
“The State of Karnataka is being accused of jeopardizing students’ futures and causing hardship to them, as well as their parents, teachers, and school management. The order under challenge from the Karnataka High Court appears, at first glance, to be out of line with the provisions of the RTE Act. A notice has been issued and will be returnable in two weeks. The implementation of the disputed order is suspended until further notice. Any results released by schools should not be considered for any purpose and must be put on hold instead of being communicated to parents,” the Supreme Court directed today.
In the challenged judgment of March 22, a division bench of the Karnataka High Court accepted the State’s argument that the examinations should not be considered “Board Exams” in the traditional sense and dismissed petitions contesting their conduct. This decision set aside a single-judge decision of March 6 that invalidated certain notifications issued in 2023, which had paved the way for the conduct of these exams.
READ ALSO: Karnataka High Court Allowed For Conducting Board Exams for Grades 5, 8, 9, and 11
The Supreme Court issued an order against the conduct of KSEAB exams. The first order was issued on March 12, shortly after the single-judge order of the High Court was stayed by a division bench of the same court. The division bench later upheld the State’s decision to hold the exams and ordered their resumption.
The High Court bench, comprising Justices K Somashekar and Rajesh Rai K, opined that there was no evidence to suggest that the KSEAB exams would create additional pressure on students, as the only distinguishing factor was that the question papers would be set by the KSEAB.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court Suspends Karnataka State School Board Exams for Grades 5, 8, 9, and 11
Following the High Court’s final decision, a fresh appeal was filed before the Supreme Court, which has now stayed the results of the exams, indicating a prima facie view that the High Court’s decision may be incorrect.
