The Supreme Court on Friday said the decision taken by some States like Delhi and Maharashtra under the Disaster Management Act to cancel the final-year UGC exam before September 30 due to COVID-19 will prevail. States can apply to the UGC for an extension of the exam deadline. Their request will be considered by the UGC at the earliest.

Besides Maharashtra and Delhi, other States that have cancelled the UGC exams include Odisha, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan held that States’ Disaster Management authorities acted beyond their jurisdiction to promote final-year students without exams. "States and universities cannot promote students without holding exams,” Justice Bhushan read from the judgment.The court, however, did not quash the UGC’s July 6 directive to hold exams before September 30. This case only referred to States that had unilaterally cancelled the UGC exams by using their powers under the Disaster Management Act.

The Supreme Court on Friday said the decision taken by some States like Delhi and Maharashtra under the Disaster Management Act to cancel the final-year UGC exam before September 30 due to COVID-19 will prevail. States can apply to the UGC for an extension of the exam deadline. Their request will be considered by the UGC at the earliest.

Besides Maharashtra and Delhi, other States that have cancelled the UGC exams include Odisha, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Haryana. A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan held that States’ Disaster Management authorities acted beyond their jurisdiction to promote final-year students without exams. "States and universities cannot promote students without holding exams,” Justice Bhushan read from the judgment.The court, however, did not quash the UGC’s July 6 directive to hold exams before September 30. This case only referred to States that had unilaterally cancelled the UGC exams by using their powers under the Disaster Management Act.