New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a petition of a dyslexic CBSE student, Pranjay Jain, seeking permission to use calculator for writing his class XII examination.
"Since CBSE, an expert body, has considered and decided against use of calculator, it is not possible for us to allow your prayer," a bench of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and CK Prasad observed while dismissing the petition.
The Bench agreed with the CBSE counsel's contention that there are about 300 students with mental deficiencies of various magnitude and it was the petitioner alone who has approached the court.
The apex court said that if Jain's plea was conceded, it would amount to granting similar relief to all such other students.
The Bench said that Jain cannot complain of any discrimination as under the rules, such students are provided the assistance of a person in calculating during the exams. The apex court rejected the argument of Jain's counsel that the CBSE rule denying use of calculator was violative of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution, which,
he argued, prohibited treating unequals with equals.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 19, 2010, 16:00