The Bombay High Court has extended a compassionate gesture to a student grappling with the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, permitting him to obtain his marksheet for a 12th standard improvement exam conducted in 2020, despite a delay in surrendering his initial marksheet from the 2019 exam. The division bench of Justice GS Patel and Justice Neela Gokhale ordered the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) to release the improved marksheet while taking into account the unforeseen challenges brought about by the pandemic.
The petitioner, Sharma Aryan Rajesh, a 22-year-old engineering student, approached the court seeking relief from the requirement to submit his original Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) marksheet from the 2019 exam, in order to receive the marksheet for the improvement exam held in February/March 2020. Having scored 61.54 percent in the initial HSC exams, Rajesh pursued an improvement examination to enhance his eligibility for engineering courses, achieving a commendable 76.10 percent.
However, due to the unprecedented nationwide lockdown imposed in March 2020, Rajesh and his family were compelled to return to their hometown in Himachal Pradesh, hindering his ability to meet the procedural obligation of surrendering the old marksheet. Hindered by limited internet connectivity during the lockdown, Rajesh's efforts to obtain the marksheet online proved futile.
Acknowledging the extraordinary circumstances that transpired as a result of the pandemic, the court, presided over by Justices Patel and Gokhale, observed, "Surely these are matters that are sufficiently extraordinary and warrant the exercise of some appropriate discretion." While the court acknowledged the concerns raised by the MSBSHSE about setting a precedent for similar cases, it underscored the exceptional nature of the situation and the impact it had on the petitioner's educational aspirations and future career prospects.
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