The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) whether it would refund the examination fees taken for Class X and Class XII examinations as they stood cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Justice Prateek Jalan directed the CBSE to decide within eight weeks on the petition by Deepa Joseph, mother of a Class X student of a school here, who had paid ₹ 2,100 as fee.
The exams for Class X got cancelled on April 14 and the results are still not declared. The Class XII boards were cancelled on June 1.
The court clarified that Ms. Joseph was at liberty to challenge the CBSE’s decision if she was not satisfied with it. Justice Jalan also recorded that none of the parties had any objection to him hearing the petition even though his son was in Class XII.
Advocate Robin Raju, representing Ms. Joseph, argued that the CBSE should consider refunding at least some portion of the exam fee, as many parents came from poor financial backgrounds.
