CBSE leak not confined to just Delhi, Haryana?

New Delhi/Ranchi: The leak of the Class 10 mathematics paper may not be confined just to Delhi and Haryana as the CBSE has, strangely, concluded.

Police in Chatra, Jharkhand, on Saturday arrested at least 12 persons, including a teacher, students and coordinators of a coaching institute in connection with the leak of the Class 10 maths paper.

Among those arrested are nine minors and a maths teacher of the Chatra Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Harmesh. He is also alleged to be a former ABVP office-bearer. The Congress has alleged that ABVP district coordinator Satish Pandey is “one of the main culprits” in the paper leak.

According to a press statement issued by Jharkhand police, an FIR was registered at Sadar police station area on March 28, following a complaint from the principal of the Chatra Jawahar Navodaya school. He had allegedly got information from a student that some persons had got the leaked maths paper and their answers were being provided in the school.

The Central Board of Secondary Education may have to revisit its decision not to conduct the Class 10 maths exam across the country, except in Delhi NCR and Haryana, in light of these developments.

Even as irate students continued their protest against the CBSE’s decision and paper leak for the third consecutive day on Saturday, and the Delhi police visited schools and coaching centres in outer Delhi that are under scanner and questioned over 60 people, a plea was moved in the Supreme Court by a student against the decision of the CBSE to cancel and re-conduct the economics exam of Class 12 and the mathematics paper of Class 10.

The petition, filed by Shakarpur-resident Reepak Kansal, said that there was no justification in the CBSE’s decision to re-conduct the exams without first conducting an inquiry and finding out those responsible.

“It is to be noted that this year, 16,38,428 students are appearing for the Class 10 and 11,86,306 students for Class 12 in the CBSE examinations. And, therefore, to penalise the student community for an incident which is under investigation and without completion of that investigation/enquiry and issuing a notice on March 28, 2018 (for re-exams), affects the fundamental rights of students which is arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional,” the plea said.

It alleged that reports about the question paper leakage was circulated on social media for several hours before the papers started.

“Despite information and complaints, the CBSE denied any leak of question papers and urged students and parents to not to panic,” the plea submitted.

It also sought a direction to the board to declare the results based on the exams already conducted.

The petition, which sought directions to the Centre and the CBSE, said that due to the inaction/wrong actions of CBSE officials, the fundamental rights of students, falling in the category of re-examination, has been violated as they would not have proper time and opportunity to appear in their respective competitive examinations.

The Delhi police, meanwhile, said it has received a reply from Google on the information it had sought regarding the e-mail address from where the CBSE chairperson Anita Karwal was sent a mail about the leaked Class 10 mathematics paper. The crime branch officials refused to disclose details of the reply.

The sender of the e-mail to Ms Karwal had stated that the mathematics paper was leaked on WhatsApp and that the exam should be cancelled. The mail contained 12 images of the handwritten mathematics paper allegedly leaked on WhatsApp.

On Friday, the HRD ministry had announced that the re-examination of the CBSE Class 12 economics paper will be held on April 25 and that of Class 10 mathematics paper in July.