Supreme Court seeks CBSE response to plea seeking compartment exams for class XII students in Gulf countries

The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought the responses of the Union government and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a plea seeking an opportunity for class XII students in Gulf and West Asian countries to appear in compartment examinations after this year’s board examinations were disrupted by the regional conflict due to the US-Iran war.

A Bench of Justices KV Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe issued notice on the petition after being told that while CBSE has notified compartment examinations commencing July 28, no corresponding schedule has been announced for students from GCC and West Asian countries.

It directed that a copy of the petition be served on Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and posted the matter for hearing on July 14.

The petition has been filed by class XII students from GCC and West Asian countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

The students have challenged the impact of the special assessment scheme adopted by CBSE after board examinations in the region were disrupted by the geopolitical conflict earlier this year.

Under the scheme notified on March 27, CBSE assessed students in several subjects using their quarterly examinations, half-yearly examinations and pre-board examinations after certain board examinations could not be conducted.

As per the petition, the students were never informed that these internal assessments would determine their final board results and many have consequently been declared failed or placed in the compartment category, affecting their eligibility for university admissions in India and abroad.

Among other reliefs, the petition has sought directions to conduct special fresh and improvement examinations for affected students, grant compensatory moderation or grace marks, and provide relaxations in admission criteria under the Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA) and Children of Indian Workers in Gulf Countries (CIWG) schemes.

The petition also referred to an earlier matter in which the Supreme Court had issued notice on a plea by class XII private candidate from Saudi Arabia, whose results were not declared after three of his improvement examinations were cancelled due to the disruption in West Asia.

According to the present petition, the issues involved in both cases are substantially similar since they concern the educational rights and admission prospects of CBSE students in GCC and West Asian countries affected by the extraordinary circumstances during the 2026 examination cycle.

The Court today tagged both petitions and listed them for further hearing on July 14.

The students were represented by advocates Raj Kishore Choudhary and Vineet Jindal.