Punjab & Haryana High Court Directs CBSE to Regularise Class XII Admission; Holds Student’s Career Cannot Suffer for School’s Procedural Lapse
Case Name: Lawrence International School and Another v. Union of India and Others
Date of Judgment: 8 January 2026
Citation: CWP-39555-2025
Bench: Hon’ble Mr. Justice Kuldeep Tiwari
Held: The Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the CBSE to regularise and approve the direct admission of a Class XII student and permit her to appear in the ensuing Board Examinations. The Court held that purely procedural or clerical lapses on the part of the school cannot be allowed to jeopardise the academic future of a student, particularly when the balance of equity tilts in favour of the student.
Summary: The writ petition was filed by a CBSE-affiliated school and a Class XII student seeking approval of the student’s direct admission, inclusion of her name in the List of Candidates, and permission to appear in the CBSE Class XII Board Examinations commencing from 18 February 2026. The student had taken admission in Class XII after her father was transferred due to employment exigencies, making it impractical for her to continue schooling at her previous location.
It was conceded on behalf of the school that there was a delay in applying for post facto approval from the CBSE within the prescribed time and that the lapse occurred due to inadvertence on the part of the school’s ministerial staff. The school expressed its willingness to bear any costs imposed by the CBSE for disruption of the examination schedule.
The CBSE opposed the petition on the ground that the last date for submission of forms had expired on 2 September 2025, that the request for approval had already been rejected in December 2025, and that the rejection order had not been separately challenged.
The High Court held that the objections raised by the CBSE were procedural in nature and that penalising the student for the school’s lapse would result in grave prejudice to her academic career. Emphasising equitable considerations, the Court observed that while regulatory compliance is important, it cannot override the fundamental interest of a student where no fraud or misrepresentation is alleged.
Decision: The writ petition was disposed of with a direction to respondents CBSE to forthwith regularise and approve the direct admission of the student, register and enrol her as a bona fide candidate of the school, include her name in the List of Candidates, and permit her to appear in the CBSE Class XII Board Examinations. The CBSE was granted liberty to impose exemplary costs upon the school for the procedural lapse.