The education department of the state government on September 14 through a circular notified its decision to seek help of voluntary organisations for conducting the October examination of the GSEB.

One petition, filed by Muslim Students Coordination Committee of Ahmedabad's coordinator Asif Sheikh, challenges the involvement of voluntary organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bajrang Dal in the examination process. Another petition is filed by by Lok Adhikar Sangh.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice M H Kadri heard the matter on Tuesday and asked government pleader Prashant Desai to seek instruction from the state government on Wednesday whether it could take such a decision.

Senior advocate Haroobhai Mehta and advocate Vasavdatta Bhatt submitted on behalf of the student's organisation that under a secular Constitution, involvement of communal organisations in State-sponsored activities was unconstitutional. Besides, the decision would inspire a sense of insecurity among students from the minority communities, they submitted. The Lok Adhikar Sangh petition submitted that under the Gujarat Secondary Education Board Act, no outside help is permitted for examination process, and so the State government decision was illegal.

According to the state government arrangement, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have been chosen by the district collector and district education officer. According to the GSEB guidelines, the NGO representatives are not to enter the examination hall, but will try to persuade students not to copy and take away chits and other material that the examinees might be carrying. The matter will be heard on Wednesday.