Supreme Court Issues Notice On Plea Seeking Fresh CBSE Class 12 Exams For Gulf Students Dissatisfied With Assessment
Supreme Court issues notice on plea seeking a fresh Class 12 examination opportunity for Gulf-based CBSE students dissatisfied with assessed marks
The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice on a plea filed by Class 12 students studying in Gulf countries seeking a fresh opportunity to appear for board examinations after expressing dissatisfaction with the marks awarded under the CBSE assessment scheme.
The Bench of Justice KV Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe directed that a copy of the petition be served upon Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and listed the matter for hearing on July 14.
The petitioners submitted that while the CBSE has notified compartment examinations from July 28, 2026, no similar opportunity has been extended to Gulf-based Class 12 students who are dissatisfied with their assessed marks.
Addressing the Bench, counsel for the petitioners said: "Our grievance is simple; we seek the same opportunity for Class 12 students in Gulf countries who are dissatisfied with their assessed marks."
Referring to Clause 18 of the CBSE's Assessment Scheme for Declaration of Results of Class 12 in Vacation Countries dated March 27, 2026, counsel argued that the scheme itself contemplates a fresh examination for students dissatisfied with their assessment, subject to conducive conditions and feasibility.
The clause provides: "A student not satisfied with the assessment... may be given a fresh opportunity... by conducting a fresh set of examinations in subjects whose examinations could not be conducted."
The petitioners contended that since compartment examinations have already been scheduled from July 28, conducting a similar examination for Gulf-based students is both feasible and consistent with the assessment policy.
Recording the submissions, the Bench observed: "Learned counsel has a limited grievance... that they should also be given an opportunity to take the exam."
The Court thereafter ordered: "Issue notice. Let a copy of the petition be served on the learned Solicitor General for India... List on July 14."
During the hearing, Advocate Vineet Jindal also appeared for another petitioner Pransu Jigarkumar Patel.
The matter will now be considered on July 14, when the Union Government is expected to respond to the plea.
Notably, on June 22, the Supreme Court had disposed of a plea filed by a private Class XII candidate from Saudi Arabia after the Centre informed the Court that it had notified a national policy to address the concerns of private students in Gulf countries whose CBSE examinations were cancelled due to the recent international crisis in the region. The Bench of Justice S.V.N. Bhatti and Justice Vipul M. Pancholi took on record the policy notified on June 21, 2026, and noted that the grievance raised by the petitioner had been substantially redressed.
The matter arose from a writ petition filed by Pransu Jigarkumar Patel, a private candidate from Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, who challenged the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) failure to declare his Class XII Improvement Examination result after several examinations across seven Gulf countries were cancelled amid regional conflict. The petitioner contended that while CBSE had issued a special assessment scheme on March 27, 2026, for regular students affected by the cancellations, no mechanism had been devised for private candidates appearing in improvement examinations. As a result, his result had been withheld and marked as "Result Later" (R.L.), adversely impacting his higher education prospects.
Earlier, on June 8, the Supreme Court had issued notice to the Union of India and sought a solution to the issue raised by the petitioner. On June 13, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had informed the Court that the Centre was formulating a policy to address the concerns of similarly placed students and sought time for the same. When the matter came up today, the Solicitor General informed the Court that there were two distinct categories of students affected by the cancellation of CBSE examinations in Gulf countries: regular school students and private candidates.
Case Title: Adithian Rajmohan Nair & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors. and connected matter
Bench: Justice KV Viswanathan and Justice Alok Aradhe
Hearing Date: July 8, 2026