High court allows engineering exams complying with Covid protocol

Kochi: The high court has allowed Kerala Technical University to conduct engineering exams complying strictly with Covid safety protocol.

Justice Anu Sivaraman said the university can take an appropriate decision on holding exams in the affiliated colleges. The high court directed the university to take an appropriate decision regarding students who are finding it difficult to take exams because of Covid restrictions.

The high court directive came on the petition filed by sixth semester students of various colleges challenging the offline exams being conducted by the university.

The court pointed that the argument that KTU violated the UGC norms while conducting offline classes cannot be accepted.

It said the UGC guidelines of 2020 clearly says that interim semesters /annual assessments of student is left to the descretion of the university.

The court said the number of petitioners was only 28 while many students who have the exams are not a party in the case. The university has to take a decision after examining all sides and taking all precautionary measures. The exams should be conducted after complying strictly with Covid protocol, it said.

The high court accepted KTU counsel's argument that directions of high-level councils like AICTE and NCTE were applicable to UGC guidelines as well.

APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University is also known as the Kerala Technological University.