Plea against CBSE grading system for students dismissed

Turning down the plea by Independent Schools Federation of India, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna said the court would not like to interfere with the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) decision which is a policy matter.

The high court's division bench upheld the single judge's verdict which had endorsed CBSE's decision saying the education regulatory body had consulted the experts from the field of education before introducing the new methodology.

"This court is not an expert to judge the decision of CBSE that has been arrived at after undertaking detailed exercise. It is a policy decision relating to education," the bench said.

Dismissing the schools' counsel's arguments that the CBSE decision was arbitrary and unconstitutional, the court said "we are unable to persuade ourselves to accept the submission of the petitioner counsel that the circular introducing the new methodology of CBSE invites the frown of Article 14 of the Constitution of India being unreasonable and arbitrary."

The court accepted the regulatory body's reasoning for introduction of grading system saying CBSE had intended to make the system more effective.