SC's nod for Class 11 exams in Kerala

The Supreme Court on Friday gave nod to the state government for holding the Class 11 examination in offline mode. The state government assured the court of following Covid protocol during the examination.

New Delhi:Taking a U-turn on the conduct of the Class 11 examination in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Friday gave nod to the state government for holding the examination. The state government assured the court of following Covid protocol during the examination.

The bench comprising of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice CT Ravikumar was hearing an appeal against the SC's stay on regular examination in view of the Covid 19 pandemic. Reading the counter affidavit by the state, the court noted that around seven lakh students appeared for NEET and protocol will be followed responsibly for Class 11 examination also.

"We are convinced with the explanation offered by the state. We hope and trust that authorities will take all precautions and necessary steps to ensure no untoward situation is faced by students who are of tender age and are appearing in the exam," said the court in its order.

On September 3, observing the situation in Kerala as "alarming", the SC pointed out that the state accounted for more than 70% of cases of the country. The court observed that the state government did not "seriously consider the prevailing situation before having physical exams. The exams were scheduled to be held from September 6 to September 27.

In a stern remark, the SC said that children of tender age cannot be exposed to risk. Kerala High Court had refused to intervene in the issue and the state government approached the SC later. Out of the 30,570 new COVID-19 cases reported on September 16, 17,681 were reported from Kerala.