HC asks CBSE to make long-term plan as Board reschedules Wednesday's exams in riot-hit NE Delhi

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday said class 10 and 12 students, who have board examination centres in violence-hit northeast Delhi, need to be informed in one go about the schedule for the next 10-15 days and not on piecemeal basis.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher said the situation in northeast Delhi is getting worse and there have been more deaths and, therefore, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) needs to take a call for the next 10-15 days.

The court asked the CBSE to come with instructions about a long-term plan at 2.15 pm.

The direction by the court came after the CBSE on Wednesday said that the exams in 86 schools in the violence-hit northeast Delhi have been postponed.

"CBSE postpones Class 10, 12 exams in northeast Delhi scheduled on Wednesday, exams to be held in remaining areas as per schedule," officials told the PTI.

There are a total of 86 centres in northeast Delhi. While Class 10 students had English exam, Class 12 students had optional exams, including Web Application and Media.

"The exam will be conducted in rest parts of Delhi as per earlier schedule. A fresh date for the exam in northeast Delhi will be announced shortly," a CBSE official said.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia announced that schools in the area would continue to be closed on Wednesday.

Safety of children cannot be put at risk, the Delhi High Court had said on Tuesday and asked the CBSE to decide at the earliest on rescheduling Wednesday's board exam at one of the centres in the north-east Delhi where violence related to the Citizenship (Amendment) Act have claimed 11 lives.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher had asked the CBSE to take the decision as soon as possible on the exam and convey it to all concerned. The court will hear the matter again on Wednesday morning.

The court was hearing a plea by private school, Bhai Parmanand Vidya Mandir at Surya Niketan in East Delhi, and some of its class X and XII students saying the centre allotted to them by the CBSE was 16 km away their school and situated in Chandu Nagar-Karawal Nagar road, one of the violence hit areas.

They said it was hard for them to reach at the Centre due to violent clashes and riots in area which have claimed 11 lives so far.

They urged the court to direct the CBSE to change the examination centre from New Sandhya Public School to a centre located in east Delhi district with proper infrastructure and security.

The court said it was of a prima facie opinion that the exam cannot be held at the Chandu Nagar Centre in view of the inputs given by the senior police officials.

The Registrar General of the high court informed the judge that as per the inputs of police officials of the concerned area, the situation is tense.

The court said it was looking at the issue from the aspect of children's safety which cannot be put at risk.

The school, in the petition, said around 550 students in class X and XII are registered with it for taking the board examination.

The plea, filed through advocate Kamal Gupta, said the "violent clashes and riots have posed a serious threat and danger to the life of the students and their parents, in as much as they have no option but to reach the centre come what may be the situation of the area around the centre; reaching the centre not only involves mental agony, trauma and stress for the students and their parents, but also poses grave and palpable threat to the life and limb".

The plea said when the school had come to know about the Centre allotted to it, they had written to CBSE pointing out that the examination centre is 16 km away from the school and the time taken to reach there is more than 40 minutes.

Sisodia had on Monday spoken to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' and requested him to postpone the board examination for the particular district.

However, CBSE had clarified that there is no examination centre in North East Delhi for exams on Tuesday so no rescheduling was needed.

"It is informed that as per schedule tomorrow there are exams only for class XII in four vocational subjects in 18 centres in Western part of Delhi. There are no centres in the north east part of Delhi for exams scheduled tomorrow," a CBSE spokesperson had said.