NAGPUR: Over one-and-a-half years after a Std XII student was declared fail in chemistry paper of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) examinations, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court directed the board to revoke the result and issue a fresh one with grace marks.
CBSE had directed its affiliated schools to conduct exams on their own in view of pandemic which was at its peak in 2021. In the results declared on July 31, 2021, the petitioner was declared fail.
The student’s contention in court was supported by his school that “admitted its clerical mistake” in not awarding him grace marks.
Petitioner Madhav Chorghade, who was a student of School of Scholars, Atrey Layout, alleged that he lost his precious academic year due to the school’s blunder and also due to delay by the respondents to file a reply in the court. He had to switch over to Maharashtra State Board to clear the Std XII exams as the case was pending.
“We cannot be oblivious that such occasions (Covid-19 pandemic) may arise rarely, if at all. It is only because of the extraordinary pandemic situation that the schools were called upon to conduct the process, or at least substantial part thereof at their own level,” a division bench comprising justices Rohit Deo and Vrushali Joshi said.
Quoting the school’s affidavit, the bench said that it had committed a mistake in allocation of marks. “In the peculiar circumstances and clarifying that this order shall not be a precedent nor an adverse reflection on the stand of CBSE, we allow the petition by directing it to quash its letter of January 7, 2022, and order a fresh result.”
Chorghade through counsels – SA Mohta and Achyut Chorghade — had moved the HC contending that the ‘School of Scholars’ management had committed an inadvertent and technical error in uploading the marks. He had secured 16/80 marks in chemistry and 23/80 in psychology. As per the rules, seven grace marks were available and the school should have added it in chemistry which would have helped him to clear the paper. However, the school added those marks in psychology, where he was already declared passed, the court was informed.
The school admitted its mistake in its affidavit on January 23, where it termed it as a “clerical error”. It also blamed internet issues stating that there was incorrect uploading of marks for the petitioner.
Discovered on: 2023-04-23 02:51:00
Source: Issue New Result To Std Xii Student Declared Fail 1.5 Yrs Ago: Hc To Cbse |…
