MUMBAI, Jan. 22 -- The rule of law mandates that public power must be exercised within the bounds of procedure, fairness, and rationality even in pursuit of the most legitimate ends, the Bombay High Court said on Monday while striking down orders passed by the Maharashtra State Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board in December 2025, cancelling higher secondary certificate (HSC) examination centres at 15 educational institutes in Marathwada over stray incidents of copying by students. The division bench of justices Vibha Kankanwadi and Hiten Venegaonkar was hearing petitions filed by the 15 educational institutes, challenging the education board's order. Such drastic action could not have been taken against the institutes over stray incidents of copying, especially when such incidents were reported from at least 42 centres across Marathwada, the petitioner institutions said. The institutions alleged that the decision was taken in undue haste, without considering student interest and welfare, effectively stigmatising the institution and harming their reputation built over years. Moreover, students residing near the 15 educational institutes have been allotted centres at far off places, the petitioners said. The education board contested the petitions, saying the punitive action was part of its campaign to eradicate copying and ensure strictness in the conduct of board examinations. The action was taken over stray incidents of copying and not for mass copying or malpractices, the board clarified in its affidavit submitted in court. The high court said that while the state's objective is to maintain the sanctity of examinations and eradicate cheating, responses must be calibrated. "A zero-tolerance policy towards cheating cannot mean unreasoned, mechanically imposed collective punishment on an institution for the act of a single examinee," the judges said. The court said it was necessary to ensure free, fair, and malpractice-free board examinations, as even marginal marks can determine admissions, scholarships, and careers in the current competitive situation. Any dilution of examination integrity would be a direct injustice to honest students who prepare diligently, the court said. "At the same time, the rule of law requires that even in pursuit of the most legitimate ends, public power must be exercised within the bounds of procedure, fairness, and rationality," the court said. The legitimacy of anti-cheating enforcement is strengthened when it is implemented transparently with documented reasons, calibrated consequences, and accountability, the court noted....