The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a writ petition filed by Class XII students studying in Gulf and West Asian countries, challenging the special assessment scheme adopted after the cancellation of the 2026 Board examinations due to the regional conflict. The Bench of Justices K. V. Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe also directed that a copy of the petition be served on the Solicitor General of India.
The writ petition has been filed on behalf of students from CBSE-affiliated schools in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. The petitioners contend that the Board’s special assessment formula, introduced after examinations in several subjects were cancelled owing to geopolitical tensions in the Gulf region, resulted in substantially lower marks than they would have secured had the examinations been conducted.
According to the plea, CBSE’s notification dated March 27, 2026 provided that marks for the cancelled papers would be computed on the basis of school-level assessments such as quarterly examinations, half-yearly examinations and pre-board examinations. The petitioners argue that the formula has adversely affected their higher education prospects, particularly admissions under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) and Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG) categories, both of which require a minimum aggregate of 75%. They submit that several students who qualified the Joint Entrance Examination (Main) have nevertheless become ineligible solely because of the marks awarded under the assessment scheme, while others have been declared failed or placed in the compartment category despite consistent academic performance.
The petition seeks multiple directions, including a one-time grant of compensatory moderation or grace marks, conduct of special fresh and improvement examinations with a “better-of-two” protection, one-time relaxation in DASA and CIWG eligibility criteria, and protection of admissions so that affected students do not lose an academic year due to circumstances beyond their control.
The petition has been filed through Advocates Vineet Jindal and Raj Kishor Choudhary on behalf of the affected students. The matter will now be heard after the respondents file their response.