WILL THERE BE SEMESTER EXAMS FOR FINAL YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS? - SUPREME COURT DELIVERS FINAL VERDICT

Final year students from colleges and universities across India were awaiting the Supreme Court’s verdict regarding the final year exams. While several states asked for the dates to be deferred, students presented their case and asked for the exams to remain cancelled.

However, the Supreme Court today asserted, “State cannot promote students without final year examinations.” The UGC also argued that the exams must be conducted “to protect the academic future of student” and that the degrees cannot be awarded in the absence of conducting exams.

It also added that any decision to bar the final year exams will "directly affect the standards of higher education and will be an encroachment on the legislative field of coordinating and determining the standards of higher education that is exclusively reserved for parliament under the constitution."

The UGC had previously said that all states must ensure that the final year exams are concluded by the end of September 2020. However, to the Supreme Court it said that its July 6 directive was “not a dikat” but states cannot take a decision regarding the cancellation of degree exams. However, it ascertained that states can request for an extension of the deadline for holding exams.

The Supreme Court has agreed to it. “If states feel they cannot conduct exams by September 30, they can approach UGC for relief,” the judges said.