In Brief
A school serving as an NIOS study centre petitioned the Supreme Court for directions to fix examination centres within reasonable distance from study centres. Students were required to travel 50 km when nearer institutions existed. The Court held that while NIOS must maintain examination integrity and credibility, it has a constitutional duty under Articles 21A and 45 and the 2009 Education Act to balance this with accessibility. NIOS was directed to develop distance-based criteria and endeavour to fix examination centres within 10 km of Accredited Institutions, considering credibility and integrity factors while prioritizing access for rural and disadvantaged students.
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