HC directs govt, police to ensure security at board exam centres in northeast Delhi

The Delhi High Court directed the AAP government and the police on Friday to ensure that there is no breach of security at board exam centres in northeast Delhi where violence over the amended citizenship law has left 42 people dead and over 250 injured.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued the direction after making the Delhi government and the police parties in a plea by a school seeking change of its board exam centre which is located in the area.

The court also issued notices to them seeking their stand on the school's petition by March 4, the next date of hearing.

"The newly added respondents (government and police) shall ensure the (exam) centres are sanitised and there is no breach of security," the court said which also observed that the situation in north east Delhi appeared to be "improving".

During the hearing, CBSE told the court that it has postponed the board exams for class 10 and 12 to be held on Friday and Saturday at 86 centres in north east Delhi.

It said however that it was optimistic about holding exams at the centres from Monday, March 2, onwards.

It also told the court that it has no plan to shift the centres to some other location in the national capital.

Advocate Kamal Gupta, appearing for the school, told the court that there was no police presence at the centres in northeast Delhi and he has videos showing two schools being burned down and schools buses being set on fire.

Thereafter, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) told the court that Delhi government and the police were the apt authorities to ensure the exam centres there were protected.

Subsequently, the court made the government and the police a party in the matter.

The court had on Wednesday taken note of the "worsening situation" in the area and had directed the CBSE to come up with a plan to re-schedule them or change the affected centres.

The private school, Bhai Parmanand Vidya Mandir at Surya Niketan in east Delhi, has said in its plea that the centre allotted to them by the CBSE was 16 km away from their school and situated in Chandu Nagar-Karawal Nagar road, one of the violence-hit areas.

The petitioners, including some students of class 10 and 12, have said it would be hard for them to reach the Centre due to violent clashes and riots in the area.

They have urged the court to direct the CBSE to change the examination centre from New Sandhya Public School to a centre located in east Delhi district with proper infrastructure and security.