In a setback to the Karnataka government’s last-minute policy shift, the High Court on Tuesday, April 21, ruled that SSLC students must be awarded marks, not grades, for the recently concluded academic year.
The decision came as Justice ES Indiresh disposed of a petition filed by the state government, which had sought a review of the court’s earlier April 15 order. In that order, the High Court had stressed that evaluation for the current batch must remain consistent with the system in place at the beginning of the academic year.
Just days before the third language SSLC exam, the state government announced that marks would not be awarded for the subject. Instead, it proposed introducing a grading system that would not count towards the student’s overall score. The move triggered confusion and concern among students and parents, particularly because it came at the tail end of the academic cycle.
Compounding the issue, the government published “draft rules” on April 10 to amend the Karnataka School Examinations and Assessment Board Act, 1966. However, these rules were never formally notified, leaving the proposed changes without legal backing.
Three students from Udupi and Chikkamagaluru districts approached the High Court on April 8, challenging the mid-year alteration of evaluation norms. When the matter was heard on April 15, the state’s counsel assured the court that evaluation would proceed under the existing system of marks.
Reaffirming that position in its April 21 order, the High Court said the proposed shift to grading could not be implemented for the 2025–26 academic session, as the necessary legal framework was still incomplete. The court upheld the principle that the "rules of the game" cannot be changed midway.
Since the only officially notified guidelines in force when the academic year began were those issued through a circular dated October 28, 2025, the state was bound to follow them, the court said.
Appearing for the government, Advocate General Shashi Kiran Shetty argued that the proposed change was intended to address a recurring issue, with many students being held back in Class 10 due to failure in the third language. However, the court made it clear that such reforms cannot come at the cost of procedural fairness.
Following the High Court’s direction, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will chair a meeting on Wednesday, April 22, to decide the state’s next steps. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said the government will deliberate on the court’s order and take a call on whether to file an appeal.
“The final decision will be taken after consulting CM Siddaramaiah on Wednesday. We will decide if we have to appeal in court again. Students must remain calm and I promise that the SSLC results will not be delayed.”
This article was written by a student interning with TNM.