Summary: A recent court decision reversed the shutdown of exam centers for several schools in Maharashtra. The centers were initially closed because one student was caught cheating. The court found the decision to be unfair and not clear.
In January 2026, the Bombay High Court in Aurangabad dealt with a series of requests from different schools. These requests challenged the shutdown of their exam centers by the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education. The main case was led by a school named Raje Shahaji Kashinath Mahavidyalaya.
It all started during the February-March 2025 Board exams. On February 11, 2025, a student was caught cheating during the English test. The schools argued that this was just a one-time incident and not a sign of widespread cheating.
In July 2025, the schools received a notice from the Board asking why their exam centers should not be shut down. Even after explaining, the Board canceled the centers on December 18, 2025, based on a rule about handling cheating cases.
The court, led by Judges Vibha Kankanwadi and Hiten S. Venegavkar, found the cancellation orders to be random and not well-explained. They pointed out that the decision was based on a single incident and did not follow the necessary steps.
The cancellation meant students had to travel 14 kilometers to a new center, causing inconvenience and stress. The court noted this difficulty and stressed the importance of looking after students' needs.
The schools' lawyers argued that the Board's decision was too harsh and did not follow the proper steps. They pointed out that the schools couldn't control the outside staff managing the exams.
The court ordered the exam centers to be reopened and set guidelines to ensure fair conduct in the future. Schools must promise to prevent future cheating and keep a close watch during exams.
The court decided that the exam centers should be reopened because the original decision to close them was unfair and not properly justified. The schools must ensure that exams are conducted fairly in the future.
