The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to postpone the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering Exam (GATE), scheduled to be held on February 5 amidst COVID-19 restrictions in many parts of the country.
A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant and Vikram Nath dismissed a batch of pleas, saying that postponing GATE just 48 hours before the scheduled examination will result in "chaos and uncertainty" and it cannot play with careers of students, who have prepared for it.
“The plea for postponement of GATE examination barely 48 hours before the scheduled date February 5, 2022, is replete with a potential for chaos and uncertainty, in the lives of students who have registered for the examination. There is no overarching reason why this court in exercise of jurisdiction under Article 32 of the constitution should supplant the duties and functions of the regulatory authorities, who have taken a decision to hold the examination," the bench said.
“On a considered perspective of the position and consistent with the circumspect which must be exercised by this court in interfering with academic matters, we are not inclined to entertain a petition under Article 32 of the constitution. These petitions are accordingly dismissed,” it added.
The bench said, “We cannot start postponing exams like this, everything is opening up now. We cannot play with the careers of the students like this. One of the petitioners before us is a coaching centre”. The apex court said that it is a matter of academic policy as to when examination should be held and court cannot enter this arena.