Why Calcutta High Court refused to let Class 12 student sit for CBSE 2026 Board exams despite medical plea

The order added that considering the academic standard of the petitioner and her percentage of attendance, the court is not inclined to interfere with the decision of the school to debar the petitioner from appearing in the forthcoming board examination.

Shortfall of attendance, barred from exam

• The petitioner challenged her disqualification from the CBSE board examination, asserting that a prolonged bout of jaundice prevented her from attending school between July 4 and August 28, 2025.
• She was due to appear in the Class 12 Board examination conducted by the CBSE for the year 2026.
• She has been debarred from appearing in the said examination due to a shortfall in her attendance.
• Appearing for the petitioner, advocates Sudipta Dasgupta, Tasnim Ahamed, and Sinjini Chakraborti argued that the illness of the petitioner has to be taken to be of a serious nature and the candidature of the petitioner should be considered and recommended by the school to the Board for appearing in the forthcoming CBSE Class 12 Examination, 2026.

School’s stand

• Representing the school, advocates Uttam Kumar Mandal, Maitree Roy, and Udita Mandal submitted that regular parental information was sent to the parents of the petitioner to draw their attention and to make them aware of the shortfall in the attendance of the petitioner, but none cared to improve such attendance.
• They further submitted that the candidate is weak in academics, and for that reason, the school has not recommended the petitioner to appear in the board examination.
• School submitted a bunch of documents from which it appears that the petitioner’s attendance up to January 1 was 47.97 per cent, and she attended 71 days out of 148 days.

‘Misplaced sympathy’ undermines discipline

• The petitioner failed to attain the minimum required attendance, i.e., 75 per cent.
• There is provision for condonation of the shortfall in the percentage of attendance, but the petitioner has not been able to come forward with any supporting document for which the candidate’s shortfall in attendance may be considered for condonation, the court noted.
• The medical certificate relied upon by the petitioner has been obtained from a private medical practitioner.
• The school follows the procedure of the requirement of submission of a medical certificate from a government institution.
• Showing any leniency or sympathy may not be in the best interest of the petitioner.
• Such “misplaced sympathy” may embolden the petitioner to defy laws and to rush to court for relief.
• As a uniform principle has been followed by the school in respect of all other students with low attendance, there is no reason why the court will direct the school to depart from the same.