Only one student in each desk, no gatherings: Karnataka releases SOP to conduct SSLC in July
Bengaluru, June 23: The Karnataka government on Wednesday set in motion the process to conduct the Secondary School Leaving Certificate Examination or the 10th standard examination in July by releasing the standard operating procedure (SOP) for teachers.
While releasing the SOP, the Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar said those in charge of the exam centres should abide by the SOP.
The SOP mandated sanitising the exam halls, furniture and toilets daily by spraying disinfectant solution before and after the exam.
There would be 12 children in the examination hall and only one student in each desk to maintain physical distancing.
Also, the SOP ordered students not to gather at any time.
In the rural areas, arrangements should be made to ensure that the test centres should be created in a manner that students need not go to the taluk-level to appear for the exam, the SOP said.
Vaccinating the teachers, staff and officials involved in conducting the examination with the cooperation of the district administration is mandatory, the Minister said adding that they need to make sure that they get a dose of the vaccine well before the exams.
According to Kumar, there should be two rooms reserved for candidates suffering from cough, common cold and flu.
There should be a thermal scanner, pulse oximeter, first aid boxes and hand sanitisers at the entrance.
Students would be given masks at the entrance of the health counters in the exam halls.
Also, there would be ambulances reserved in each Taluk for those involved in the SSLC examination.
There would also be a COVID care centre for those COVID- positive students to write the exam.
If anyone in the family is infected and the candidate is in isolation and is found to be healthy, he or she would be allowed to write the test at the nearby COVID Care Centre after testing the student.
Unlike other States, the Karnataka government decided to conduct the exam in two phases where objective type questions would be asked.
The government said the 10th exam cannot be avoided as it is crucial to decide the stream in which a student should study.
Last year, the government had successfully conducted the SSLC exams despite the fear expressed by the opposition parties and experts.
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BCI urges CJI to take action against Andhra HC judge for sending young lawyer to 24-hour custody
New Delhi (PTI): The Bar Council of India on Wednesday sought the urgent intervention of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant following a "deeply disturbing" incident where a judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court reportedly sent a young advocate to
24-hour judicial custody over a procedural lapse.
The Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairperson and senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, in a formal representation, termed the conduct of Justice Tarlada Rajasekhar Rao "grossly inappropriate" and "damaging to the confidence of the Bar".
“I most respectfully request your Lordship to kindly take immediate institutional cognizance of the matter and call for the video recording of the proceedings, the order passed, and the surrounding circumstances.
“I further request that appropriate administrative action may kindly be considered, including withdrawal of judicial work from the learned Judge pending review, his immediate transfer to some far off High Court, and his nomination for appropriate judicial training/orientation on court management, judicial temperament, Bar-Bench relations, and proportional exercise of contempt/judicial authority,” Mishra wrote.
This representation is made to preserve the “dignity, moral authority and public confidence of the judiciary”, he said, adding, “Judges command the highest respect not by fear, but by fairness, patience, restraint and constitutional humility”.
The communication urged the CJI to intervene at the earliest to ensure that the faith of Bar, particularly young advocates, in the protective and corrective role of the judiciary is restored.
The controversy stems from proceedings on May 5.
According to the BCI, a video circulating online shows Justice Rao rebuking a young advocate who was unable to produce a specific order copy during a hearing.
The letter said that despite the advocate "repeatedly seeking pardon and mercy" and claiming he was in physical pain, the judge remained "unmoved".
The judge allegedly told the lawyer, "now you will learn," and mocked his experience before directing the Registrar and police personnel to take him into custody for 24 hours.
The BCI chairperson said that the judge’s actions lacked proportionality and fairness.
"The dignity of the court is not enhanced when a lawyer is made to beg for grace in open court and is still sent to custody for a procedural lapse," the letter said.
"A young lawyer... is an officer of the Court, still learning, still growing, and entitled to correction without humiliation," it added.
The bar body said that such actions create a "chilling effect" on the legal fraternity, particularly among junior members, and undermine the mutual respect required between the Bench and the Bar.
