SEBA to move court on answer scripts

[sidmis]

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[sidmis]

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SEBA plea hearing today
as reported by A STAFF REPORTER in The Telegraph, June 30 , 2010

Guwahati, June 29: Gauhati High Court will examine the admissibility of the petition filed by the Board of Secondary Education, Assam to scrap the State Information Commission’s order that allows students to see their answer scripts under the Right to Information Act tomorrow.

The petition filed by SEBA on June 25 said it would be next to impossible for the board, which conducts examinations like HSLC and high madarsa annually, to disclose answer scripts to candidates without disturbing the existing examination set-up.

The board made it clear that if the system of allowing students to see their copies is continued, the examination system would be destabilised.

A single judge bench of the high court, comprising Justice Anima Hazarika, will take cognisance of the board’s plea.

SEBA’s legal counsellor T.C. Chutia told The Telegraph that in 2007, the Central Information Commission gave a verdict that answer scripts of school-leaving examinations of central and state boards would be out of reach for students relying on the RTI Act to clear any misgivings about their marks.

“Under such circumstances, the State Information Commission’s order is considered as overstepping of the central commission ruling and the high court must intervene. Lakhs of students appear every year for the HSLC and high madarsa exams. Even if 10 per cent of the students apply to see their answer scripts, it will be a mammoth task, which SEBA cannot afford. Such practice has already disrupted the process of holding next year’s examination smoothly,” he said.

According to Chutia, SEBA has cited various grounds as how the State Information Commission’s order would affect the board. He said the order could be applicable only to internal examinations of educational institutions and government offices where the number of candidates is very limited.

State information commissioner B.K. Gohain issued an order on July 4 last year that said in any public examination, the candidates must be equipped with photocopies of the answer scripts if they apply under the RTI.

Source : The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | SEBA plea hearing today

[karira]

As reported in telegraphindia.com on 01 July 2010:
The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | HC stays order on answer scripts

HC stays order on answer scripts

[LEFT]Guwahati, June 30: Gauhati High Court today stayed the State Information Commission’s order that allows candidates of any public examination to see their answer scripts under the Right to Information Act (RTI).

[/LEFT]
[LEFT]State information commissioner B.K. Gohain issued an order on July 4 last year stating that photocopies of answer scripts must be made available to candidates of any public examination — whether conducted by universities, Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA), Assam Higher Secondary Education Council or Assam Public Service Commission — if they apply under the RTI.


[/LEFT]
[LEFT]A division bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Hrishikesh Roy, issued the interim stay after admitting a petition filed by SEBA challenging Gohain’s order.

[/LEFT]
[LEFT]The court asked the commission to file an affidavit on the case at an early date.


[/LEFT]
[LEFT]SEBA’s legal counsellor T.C. Chutia told The Telegraph that the high court had asked the commission to show cause why its July 4 order should not be made null and void since it had affected the board’s smooth conduct of high school leaving certificate (HSLC) and Assam High Madrassa (AHM) examinations.


[/LEFT]
[LEFT]Chutia said the court also took note of the Central Information Commission’s verdict that answer scripts in school leaving examinations like those conducted by the Central Board for Secondary Education and other boards like SEBA should not be made available to students who rely on the RTI to clear any misgivings about their marks.


[/LEFT]
[LEFT]“The high court will fix the first date of hearing of the case soon after receiving the affidavit and replies from the State Information Commission,” Chutia said.


[/LEFT]
[LEFT]Following the high court’s order, candidates who were dissatisfied with their marks in the HSLC and AHM examinations in 2010 and were planning to apply for photocopies of their answer scripts under the RTI will have to wait to clear their doubts over allotment of marks.[/LEFT]

[karira]

Chutia said the court also took note of the Central Information Commission’s verdict that answer scripts in school leaving examinations like those conducted by the Central Board for Secondary Education and other boards like SEBA should not be made available to students who rely on the RTI to clear any misgivings about their marks.

This is clearly not the true and correct picture !

The CIC has itself decided to revisit this order via a larger bench. Please read: Disclosure of university examination answer sheets