Archive · 22 Aug 2026
Centre Rejects Grace Marks Plea for CBSE Class 12 Students
Some Class 12 students said their CBSE marks were affected by problems in the online checking system.
They asked the government to give them extra, or grace, marks.
The government told the Supreme Court that this was not possible.
It said students had already been given one week to request re-evaluation.
About 1.68 lakh students applied to have their marks changed.
The students’ lawyer said one week was too short for everyone who needed help.
He also said some students passed entrance tests but missed the required Class 12 marks.
The Supreme Court asked the government to explain what steps it took to fix the problems.
It also asked for information about students who could not use the re-evaluation website.
The Union government told the Supreme Court that grace marks could not be awarded over alleged CBSE evaluation glitches.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said a one-week re-evaluation window had received applications from 1.68 lakh students.
Petitioner’s lawyer Laxmikant Matadan Shukla argued that one week was insufficient for the large number of affected students.
The petitioners said some students cleared entrance examinations but missed Class 12 qualifying marks because of evaluation problems.
The Supreme Court sought an affidavit on remedial measures and details of students unable to access the re-evaluation portal.
- Who
- The Union government, Central Board of Secondary Education Class 12 students, petitioners, and lawyers before the Supreme Court.
- What
- The government opposed awarding grace marks for alleged evaluation glitches but defended the re-evaluation process.
- When
- Friday; the articles do not provide a specific date.
- Where
- The Supreme Court of India.
- Why
- Students alleged that faulty On-Screen Marking evaluation affected their scores and, in some cases, prevented them from meeting Class 12 qualifying requirements.
Petitioners and affected students
Union government
Grace marks
Petitioners and affected students
Students who suffered because of faulty evaluation should receive relief, according to the petitioners’ argument.
Union government
The government said awarding grace marks was not possible.
Length of re-evaluation period
Petitioners and affected students
The petitioners argued that a one-week window was too short for the large number of students seeking review.
Union government
The government maintained that a re-evaluation window had been provided and suggested that the petitioners had missed that opportunity.
Consequences for students
Petitioners and affected students
The petitioners said some students cleared entrance examinations but remained stuck because their Class 12 scores fell below minimum qualifying marks.
Union government
The government emphasized the existing re-evaluation process while saying it did not view the litigation as adversarial.
- Issue
- Alleged irregularities in the Central Board of Secondary Education’s On-Screen Marking system.
- Government position
- Grace marks cannot be awarded for the alleged evaluation problems.
- Re-evaluation window
- A one-week period was opened for students to seek changes to their scores.
- Applications
- Approximately 1.68 lakh students applied for re-evaluation or score changes.
- Petitioner’s objection
- The one-week period was allegedly too short given the number of students involved.
- Supreme Court direction
- The Union government must file an affidavit detailing remedial measures taken after the irregularities.
- Further submission
- The petitioner must identify cases in which students could not access the portal because of infrastructural inadequacies.