The Delhi High Court has sought replies from the Centre and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on a petition demanding an independent investigation into alleged irregularities linked to the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system used for evaluating Class 12 examination papers.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), a vacation bench comprising Justices Neena Bansal Krishna and Madhu Jain issued notices to the Union government and the CBSE. The court has directed both respondents to submit their stand on the matter and scheduled the next hearing for June 12.
NSUI Seeks Extension of Verification and Revaluation Window
During the proceedings, the petitioner argued that the CBSE had shut down the portal for answer sheet verification and revaluation on Sunday night. The plea requested the court to direct the board to reopen the facility for one month so that students who may have been affected could avail themselves of the process.
The petition has been filed through advocate Rishav Ranjan and also seeks manual rechecking and physical verification of answer sheets for students who have raised concerns regarding their results.
CBSE Opposes PIL Maintainability
Representing the CBSE, advocate M A Niyaz informed the court that the board had repeatedly extended the deadline for the verification and revaluation process. He submitted that the CBSE was actively addressing complaints and concerns raised by students.
The counsel also questioned the maintainability of the PIL, arguing that the NSUI functions as the student wing of a political party.
"We don't want education to be politicised like this," the counsel submitted.
In response, the counsel appearing for the NSUI stated that the organisation had approached the court on behalf of minors and that an association with a political party could not be treated as a disqualification for filing a PIL.
Concerns Raised Over Class 12 Results and OSM System
According to the petition, concerns have emerged among students and parents following what it described as a sharp decline in overall performance in this year's Class 12 board examinations. The plea contends that questions have been raised regarding the fairness, consistency, and reliability of the OSM evaluation system.
The petition further points to multiple requests for scanned answer books and complaints relating to discrepancies and technical issues that were reportedly acknowledged by the CBSE. These concerns, the petitioner argued, warrant an independent inquiry into the functioning of the evaluation mechanism.
The matter is now expected to come up before the Delhi High Court on June 12, when the Centre and the CBSE are likely to present their responses to the allegations raised in the PIL.
