Mumbai: Expressing concern over load shedding, the Bombay High Court directed the Maharashtra state government on Tuesday, to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all exam centres during HSC and SSC examinations in October 2014.
A bench of Justice Abhay Oka also asked the state to come out with an action plan within a fortnight about how it proposed to tackle the load shedding situation at exam centres during the March-April examinations in 2015.
The bench was hearing a contempt petition filed by activist Vishnu Gawli which alleged that there was load shedding at exam centres during examinations.
Later, the state assured on Tuesday that it would ensure that all exam centres get uninterrupted power supply during 2015 examinations, though it had claimed earlier that there is a shortage of generators and that such a facility was also "harmful" for students.
However, the court observed that the state has been changing its stand frequently and that it should take a firm stand about providing uninterrupted power supply during examinations.
Earlier, the court had also pulled up the state for its apathy towards students suffering due to load shedding in schools during examinations. "Why there was no load shedding during festivals? Why only load shedding at examination centres," it had asked. The petition alleged that the state of Maharashtra had not implemented the court previous orders in 2008 to provide uninterrupted power supply to schools which conduct HSC and SSC examinations.
In July, the Bombay High Court had asked the state to provide generators, inverters and solar systems on a war footing to schools, since students have to write their examinations in darkness, due to load shedding.
Arguing in person, Gawli told the judges that till date the Maharashtra government has not taken any steps to ensure that such provisions are made for students, especially during examinations.
In 2008, Gawli had written a letter to the High Court, which was converted into a suo moto public interest litigation (PIL) that students were forced to write their examinations in the dark due to load shedding. On February 27, 2009, the court had directed the state to ensure supply of 40,000 generators to schools conducting examinations. The court had also asked the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) to ensure that there is no load shedding during examinations.
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