The Centre, as well as the CBSE, on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that the discussion on whether to conduct the remaining Class XII examinations was at an advanced stage and would be finalised by Wednesday evening.
A bench led by Justice A M Khanwilkar put a PIL for quashing the notification to conduct the examinations, for consideration on June 25, at 2 pm.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre and the CBSE, made the submissions regarding holding of discussion on the subject. He said a final decision would be taken by June 24.
Meanwhile, the court also directed the ICSE to take its own informed decision on holding of its examinations, following the CBSE's stand.
On June 17, the CBSE told the court it was in the process of taking an "appropriate decision" "very shortly" on the May 18 notification for conducting examinations for the remaining subjects of class XII between July 1 and 15, in view of the health risk posed to millions of students due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In their plea, Colonel Amit Bathla and other parents asked the court to quash the May 18 notification and direct the CBSE to declare the results on the basis of examination already conducted and to calculate it on an average basis with the internal assessment marks of the remaining subject.
They contended that ensuring proper cleanliness and safety standards in Covid-19 situation in 15,000 exam centres spread over the length and breadth of the country, including in rural sectors, would not only be risking health and life of children but also would be an exercise in futility and an eyewash.