Panaji: Goa Bench of Bombay High Court on Friday refused stop the conduct of Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certification Examinations scheduled by Goa Board later this month.
Responding to the set of petitions filed before it, Judge Mahesh Sonak ordered that it will not be possible to interfere with the conduct of the examinations.
“Based upon the apprehension expressed by the Petitioners, not quite supported by any concrete material as such on record, it will not be possible to interfere with the conduct of the examinations,” the bench observed.
“However, the State Government and the Goa Board will have to take all measures necessary to ensure the safety of the students as well as the personnel involved in holding of such examinations,” the court added.
“Assurances in the replies filed by the State Government and the Goa Board are accepted as undertakings given to this Court and the directions are issued to both the State Government as well as the Goa Board to ensure that all such measures are implemented and lives and well-being of the students and the personnel to conduct the examination is not put into any serious jeopardy,” the court ordered.
“Besides, the State Government as well as the Goa Board will have to continuously monitor and assess the situation at examination centres and if necessary make the suitable orders so that there s no compromise on the issue of safety and well-being of the students and personnel conducting the examination,” the judge said.
“Although, the SSC examination is a mile stone as urged by the learned Advocate General, obviously, the safety and well-being of the students, will be priority which will undoubtedly the rank over and above such mile stone,” the court ordered.
Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education has scheduled the examinations of SSC and HSSC from May 21 onwards.
The petitioners had claimed that though the Goa is in Green Zone, very recently some cases have been tested positive and therefore, the Goa is very likely to be classified in Orange Zone.
They had pointed out that even in Green Zone, the activities of running of schools, colleges, educational/training/coaching institutions is prohibited.
