CBSE announces final datesheet for class 10, 12 board exams; to begin from February 17
New Delhi (PTI): The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will conduct class 10 and 12 board exams from February 17, 2026, officials announced on Thursday.
While the class 10 exams will conclude on March 10, class 12 exams will end on April 9, 2026, according to the final datesheet.
This is the first time that the CBSE released the final datesheet nearly 110 days in advance.
The board had announced a tentative datesheet last month. The final datesheet has certain changes including adding an extra day for class 10 exams.
This is the first time that board exams for class 10 will be conducted twice in an academic session. The second edition of class 10 board exam is scheduled from May 15 to June 1, 2026.
"A sufficient gap has been given between two subjects generally offered by a student in both classes. The dates of conduct of entrance examinations meant for the students of Class 12 have been taken into consideration and efforts have been made to complete the examination much before entrance exams.
"This will help the students in better time management for both the Board and entrance examinations," said Examination Controller Sanyam Bhardwaj.
While in class 10, dates for subjects like Data science, French, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Retail, Security and Automotive have been altered, in class 12 subjects including Business Studies, Business administration, Psychology and Accountancy have also been changed from the schedule listed in tentative datesheet.
Bhardwaj explained that the date sheet has been prepared by avoiding more than 40,000 subject combinations to ensure that no two subjects' examinations offered by a student fall on the same date.
"To ensure that JEE (Main) and CBSE examinations of the subjects do not coincide, NTA will require the registration number of students of class 11 to be filled in JEE-Main application. Accordingly, all teh schools have been requested to provide registration number of lass 11 to their students applying for the engineering entrance exam," he said.
For class 10, the second phase of Board exams in May will be optional for students who wish to improve their performance. In case a student appears for both phases, the best score of the two will be retained.
Both the examinations will be conducted on the full syllabus meant for the year and the scheme of studies and scheme of examinations will remain the same.
The CBSE has clarified that no separate supplementary exams will be conducted under this system. Instead, the second session of the board exam will serve as the supplementary exam for those who wish to improve their scores.
At present, students have an opportunity to improve their scores in supplementary exams.
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Deep societal faultlines persist despite 75 years of independence: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan
Judge cites denial of home to Muslim girl, opposition to Dalit women cooking mid-day meals
Hyderabad, February 23, 2026: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has said that despite repeated affirmations of constitutional morality by courts, deep societal faultlines rooted in caste and religious discrimination continue to shape everyday realities in India.
Speaking at a seminar on “Constitutional Morality and the Role of District Judiciary” organised by the Telangana Judges Association and the Telangana State Judicial Academy in Hyderabad, Justice Bhuyan reflected on the gap between constitutional ideals and social practices.
He cited a recent instance involving his daughter’s friend, a PhD scholar at a private university in Noida, who was denied accommodation in South Delhi after her surname revealed her Muslim identity. According to Justice Bhuyan, the landlady bluntly informed her that no accommodation was available once her religious background became known.
In another example from Odisha, he referred to resistance by some parents to the government’s mid-day meal programme because the food was prepared by Dalit women employed as cooks. He noted that some parents had objected aggressively and refused to allow their children to consume meals cooked by members of the Scheduled Caste community.
Describing these incidents as “the tip of the iceberg,” Justice Bhuyan said they reveal how far society remains from the benchmark of constitutional morality even 75 years into the Republic. He observed that while the Constitution lays down standards of equality and dignity, the morality practised within homes and communities often diverges sharply from those values.
He emphasised that constitutional morality requires governance through the rule of law rather than the rule of popular opinion. Referring to the evolution of the doctrine through judicial decisions, he cited Naz Foundation v Union of India, in which the Delhi High Court read down Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, holding that popular morality cannot restrict fundamental rights under Article 21. Though the judgment was later overturned in Suresh Kumar Koushal v Naz Foundation, the Supreme Court ultimately restored and expanded the principle in Navtej Singh Johar v Union of India, affirming that constitutional morality must prevail over majoritarian views.
“In our constitutional scheme, it is the constitutionality of the issue before the court that is relevant, not the dominant or popular view,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also addressed the functioning of the district judiciary, underlining that trial courts are the first point of contact for most litigants and form the foundation of the justice delivery system. He stressed that due importance must be given to the recording of evidence and adjudication of bail matters.
Highlighting the role of High Courts, he said their supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 of the Constitution is intended as a shield to correct grave jurisdictional errors, not as a mechanism to substitute the discretion or factual appreciation of trial judges.
He recalled that several distinguished judges, including Justice H R Khanna, Justice A M Ahmadi, and Justice Fathima Beevi, began their careers in the district judiciary.
On representation within the judicial system, Justice Bhuyan noted that Telangana has made significant strides in gender inclusion. Out of a sanctioned strength of 655 judicial officers in the Telangana Judicial Service, 478 are currently serving, of whom 283 are women, exceeding 50 per cent representation. He added that members of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority communities, and persons with disabilities are also represented in the state’s judiciary.
He observed that greater representation of women, marginalised communities, persons with disabilities, and sexual minorities would help make the judiciary more inclusive and reflective of India’s diversity. “The judiciary must represent all the colours of the rainbow and become a rainbow institution,” he said.
Justice Bhuyan also referred to the recent restoration by the Supreme Court of the requirement of a minimum three years of practice at the Bar for entry-level judicial posts. While acknowledging that the requirement ensures practical exposure, he cautioned that its impact on women aspirants, especially those from rural or small-town backgrounds facing social and financial constraints, would need to be carefully observed over time.
Concluding his address, he reiterated that the justice system must strive to bridge the gap between constitutional ideals and lived realities, ensuring that the rule of law remains paramount.
