New Delhi, July 8: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a petition filed on behalf of Class 12 students from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and West Asian countries seeking academic relief after the 2026 board examination cycle was disrupted by regional conflict, raising concerns over the future of thousands of students.
A Bench comprising Justices K.V. Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe issued notice on the writ petition filed under Article 32 of the Constitution and directed the petitioner to provide a copy of the plea to the Solicitor General before the next hearing.
Filed through advocate Vineet Jindal, the petition contended that thousands of CBSE Class 12 students studying in GCC and West Asian countries faced extraordinary and unprecedented circumstances during the examination cycle because of the regional conflict. It argued that the disruption adversely affected examinations and placed the educational future of the students at risk.
The petition sought a declaration that students appearing for the CBSE Class 12 Examinations, 2026, from GCC and West Asian countries constitute a distinct category entitled to equitable relief in view of the exceptional circumstances surrounding the examination process.
It also challenged the CBSE assessment scheme dated March 27, alleging that it adversely affected the interests of the impacted students. The petition sought directions for the adoption of a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory evaluation mechanism.
Seeking immediate remedial measures, the petition urged the CBSE to grant one-time moderation or grace marks to affected students, citing disruption of studies, psychological stress, displacement and examination-related irregularities arising from the conflict.
The plea further requested the conduct of Special Fresh Examinations and Special Improvement Examinations in all subjects without limiting the number of subjects students may choose. It also sought permission for students to retain the better result under a “better-of-two” provision.
In addition, the petition sought the establishment of a transparent, time-bound review, verification and grievance redressal mechanism for students assessed under the March 27 evaluation framework.
The petition also requested a one-time relaxation in the minimum eligibility requirement under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) Scheme by reducing the aggregate marks criterion from 75 per cent to 60 per cent for the 2026-27 academic session. It sought a similar relaxation for admissions under the Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG) category.
Further, the petition urged educational institutions, universities and counselling authorities to protect the candidature of affected students, allow provisional admissions where required and refrain from rejecting applications because of delayed declaration or revision of results. It also sought the creation of a special admission and counselling window after revised results and special examinations to ensure that no student loses an academic year.
According to the petition, repeated representations submitted by students, parents, community organisations and educational stakeholders to the CBSE and the Union Ministry of Education have not resulted in a comprehensive remedial framework. It argued that the conflict affected the entire examination environment, irrespective of whether individual subject examinations were conducted or cancelled, and maintained that the assessment methodology failed to accurately reflect the academic capability of affected students, warranting urgent intervention by the apex court to safeguard their higher education prospects.
