University Grants Commission (UGC) has received permission from the Home Ministry on the guidelines issued for the university exams, said the Centre to the Supreme Court on Thursday,

The UGC had asked universities to conduct the final year examination before September 30, The Ministry said that the decision to allow the exams was taken in the academic interest of the students.

Further Read: SC adjourns the matter for August 18

A press release issued by the Ministry said, “The final term examinations are to be compulsorily conducted as per the UGC [University Grants Commission] guidelines on examinations and academic calendar for the universities; and as per the Standard Operating Procedure approved by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.”

Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on the matter today. In the previous hearing, the Court had asked the Centre if states can override the UGC guidelines based on the State Disaster Management Authority.

The state of Maharashtra and Delhi had challenged UGC’s decision to conduct the final year examinations in all universities. These states have issued orders to cancel all university exams due to the COVID-19 situation. It has asked universities to grade students based on internal assessment and past performance.

UGC has said that the Commission has the authority to confer degrees to the students and states’ do not have an authority to cancel the exams. It also instructed students to continue preparing for the exams and not assume that the exams are going to get cancelled or postponed.

One of the petitions for the cancellation of the university exam has been filed by a group of 31 students from different states and universities. The petition says that conducting the exams amid the COVID-19 situation is not safe for the students, and should be cancelled in the interest of justice for the students. A separate petition has been filed Yuva Sena led by Aditya Thackeray, Yash Dubey, and others.