Holding university exams in September, as sanctioned by the Supreme Court on Friday, would “risk the lives of lakhs of students” considering the challenges of ensuring social distancing at the centres and in public transport, segments of teachers and state government officials have suggested.

The apex court has upheld the University Grants Commission (UGC) directive that mandates exams in September for the country’s more than one crore final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Some academics have, however, welcomed the elbow room the court has given to state governments to postpone — in consultation with the UGC — the exams in universities within their borders if they believe the pandemic situation requires such a step.

UGC officials said that about 200 universities had already conducted final-year exams while 370 had informed the commission they planned to do so. Over 300 universities had been undecided till Friday, when the court delivered its verdict.

Arun Kumar, general secretary of the All India Federation of University and College Teachers’ Organisations, a body of teachers from state government-run institutions, hoped the states would be able to have the exams postponed.

“The state government-run universities have mostly not held exams. Students, parents and teachers have been opposing the holding of exams,” he said. “Now the judgment has come (but) the states can still ask for deferment. I feel that the lives of lakhs of students will be at risk if the exams are held now.”

India’s 260-odd state government-run universities boast more affiliated colleges and more students than any other category of varsity, and could account for well above half the country’s final-year undergraduate and postgraduate students, a UGC official said.

While the UGC has allowed the exams to be held online, most of the major universities are not even considering the option given the lack of reliable Internet connectivity and lack of devices among the poorer and rural students.

According to the UGC’s standard operating procedure (SOP) for holding the exams, the states must instruct local authorities to issue movement passes to the invigilators and other teachers, officials and staff engaged in the conduct of the exams. The students can use their admit cards to travel between the exam centre and home.

Students who have a cough, fever or cold should be made to sit in a separate room or allowed to take the exams on a different set of dates, the SOP says.

The rooms at the centres can accommodate no more than 12 students each. The examinees and the examination staff are required to download the Aarogya Setu app.

Several state governments, like those of Bengal, Rajasthan, Odisha, Maharashtra and Delhi, have openly opposed September exams.

“The college rooms don’t provide much space for social distancing,” a senior civil servant from Andhra Pradesh said.

“Besides, the students will have to travel by public transport, where too social distancing would be a big challenge.”

Delhi University executive council member Rajesh Jha, however, said the apex court had “tried to check the centralisation of decision-making in higher education” by giving the states a say.

He said the UGC was insisting that its decision on September exams be implemented but “the message in the Supreme Court judgment is that the states’ and universities’ concerns must be accommodated”.

The all-India engineering (JEE Main) and medical (NEET) entrance tests — as well as the IIT-conducted JEE Advanced — are also scheduled in September. A combined pool of 25 lakh students is expected to take these exams.