Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday pulled up the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for denying 28 students of Arooja’s Little Stars School, Moolamkuzhi, near Thopumpady in Kochi the chance to appear for the Class 10 examinations.

The court asked the CBSE regional director to appear before it on Thursday with all the documents relating to the private school. Six other students, who studied elsewhere and opted Aroojas' as their centre, too missed the exam as the school was not recognised by the CBSE.

The CBSE Class 10 examination began on Monday.

The High Court asked the CBSE to examine if there's any chance for the students can take the exams.

The school’s directors, Maggi Arooja and Melvin D'Cruz, were arrested based on a complaint from the parents. The duo has been charged with cheating.

Slamming the CBSE for the fate of the students, the court on Wednesday said those in Delhi should know what's happening in Kerala.

The court said the CBSE chairman could be summoned, if needed.

The court also impleaded the State Director of General Education and the police in the case.

The CBSE on Tuesday informed the High Court that the management of the school made a grave error by allowing the students to continue their studies without affiliation from the board.

In a statement filed before the court in response to a writ petition moved by school manager Maggie Arooja and principal Sindhu Mohan, the CBSE said no school was permitted to register students of Class IX or no admission could be made to Class IX without obtaining recognition from the state government and affiliation from the CBSE.

The school's application for affiliation was rejected in May 2012. The CBSE had written a letter to the management intimating about the school's deficiencies.

The school has been registering Class 10 students in other recognised schools for the past eight years. However, their attempt to do so this year failed, leaving the students in the lurch. The students and the parents were informed about the school's inability to register the students for the exams only on the day of the examination.

When the petition was taken up for hearing, the court wondered why 28 students of Class 10 had not yet sought to implead in the petition.