Supreme Court dismisses plea to postpone GATE 2022 exam
Highlights
- The Bench said that it is a policy matter on which government authorities have to take a call
- Any interference by the Court at this stage would lead to chaos, it said
- The plea by 11 GATE candidates had sought to postpone exam in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases
The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of petitions seeking postponement of the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) exam scheduled to be held physically this month. The bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath said that it is a policy matter on which government authorities have to take a call and interference by the Court at this stage would lead to chaos.
"The plea for postponement of GATE 2022 examination barely 48 hours before scheduled date on Feb 5 is replete with the potential for chaos and uncertainty in lives of students who have been preparing. There is no overarching reason why this court should under Article 32 to supplant the role of authorities. Consistent with a circumspection which this court must exercise in academic pleas, these petitions are accordingly," the Supreme Court order stated.
GATE 2022 is scheduled to be held physically on February 5, 6, 12, and 13.
The plea by eleven GATE candidates had sought directions from the top court to the Union government and IIT-Kharagpur (organisers of GATE) to postpone the exam in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases.
During the hearing, the court sought to distinguish between the first and second wave of COVID on one hand and the current COVID wave on the other.
"First and second waves were different," the Bench said.
"We cannot start postponing exams like this. Everything is opening up now, we cannot play with the career of students like this. One petitioner is a coaching centre. This an academic policy matter," the court said.
The court also highlighted that lakhs of students have been preparing for the exam and an online petition seeking postponement of the exam was signed only by 20,000 candidates.
If the court interferes and postpones the exam now, there will be chaos, the Bench added.
"9 lakh are appearing and 20,000 have signed an online petition. Only authorities can look into this. students have toiled hard for this. The exam is on 5th and if we stay exam now then there will chaos in the country," the Bench remarked before dismissing the plea.
The petition pointed out that 20 exams conducted by different government bodies were postponed in recent times due to COVID.
Holding the exam in the midst of a surge in COVID would violate the right to life and personal liberty of the candidates, it was contended.
In particular, the plea took objection to the notification for the exam, which it claimed has instructions that violate Articles 14 and 21.
These instructions state that while asymptomatic candidates and those with minor symptoms will be allowed to appear for the exam at the centres, those who have tested positive recently or come in contact with a COVID-infected person will be barred.
These rules are arbitrary and unreasonable, the plea said adding that the exam could be a potential super-spreaders event for COVID.
The petition was filed through advocate-on-record Pallav Mongia.
