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Congress President Rahul Gandhi attacked the Centre by listing the alleged “leaks" that have taken place during its tenure.
Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said that a fair and impartial investigation into the paper leak issue is impossible without removing Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar and CBSE Chairperson Anita Karwal from their current positions.
Pointing out the error with the evaluation of Class 12 exams in 2017, Surjewala asked the government why the “post of CBSE chairman was lying vacant for two years?” He also launched a scathing attack on the Centre for its past history of scams, including the Vyapam and SSC.
Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar on Thursday, 29 March said that those involved with the paper leak will not be “spared”, promising that the police will arrest the culprits soon.
In a press conference, a day after CBSE announced that students of Class 10 and Class 12 will have to take a re-examination of their Mathematics and Economics paper, Javadekar said that he is a parent as well and that he lost sleep in light of the paper leak.
Security has been increased by and Section 144 has been imposed outside HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar’s residence in New Delhi.
The Delhi Crime Branch interrogated over 30 people in connection with the CBSE paper leak case, most of whom either study or teach at coaching centres.
The police identified over 10 WhatsApp groups, each having 50-60 members.
Over a dozen mobile phones belonging to people the police interrogated were also seized by the police, reported ANI.
The CBSE admitted that its chairperson Anita Karwal had received an email about the Class 10 mathematics paper being leaked a day before the exam, police officials said. The Crime Branch has sought a response from Google about the email from a Gmail ID.
In the mail, the sender had stated that the mathematics paper was leaked on WhatsApp and that it should be cancelled, they said. The mail also contained attachments of the handwritten mathematics paper allegedly leaked on WhatsApp, according to the complaint.
The Delhi Police has written to Google to share details of the ID from which the CBSE chairperson was sent the e-mail about the paper being leaked, the police officials said.
Students protest the reconducting of exams in Ludhiana in Punjab and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
Six students have been detained by the police for questioning in Chatra's Sadar Police Station area in Jharkhand, on suspicion of being a part of CBSE paper leak, reported ANI.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia wrote to Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on CBSE Class XII and X paper leaks, requesting him to convene a day-long brain-storming session of education minsters so that similar incidents do not happen in the future.
The CBSE Class 10 Mathematics and Class 12 Economics Board exam papers were circulated on ten WhatsApp groups with more than 50 members including private tutors, students and parents.
The Delhi Police Crime Branch is questioning admins of these WhatsApp groups, ANI reported.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi kept up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the CBSE leaks, saying he would now write a sequel to his book "Exam Warriors" to teach students stress relief after their lives were "destroyed" due to paper leaks.
Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged the Centre not to hold retests for the leaked papers of Class 10 and Class 12 examinations. Citing examples of his kids, the media mogul wrote on Twitter “ To hv thm (sic) suffer this trauma of re-exams for no fault of theirs is terrible! ”
Class 12 Economics exam to take place on 25 April, says Education Secretary Anil Swarup.
While the CBSE Class 10 Mathematics paper will only take place in Delhi and Haryana, if at all, where the paper was leaked, in July. The dates for Class 10 retest will be announced later.
“No leak of CBSE papers outside India, hence no re-exam will be held abroad,” Swarup added.
The CBSE has submitted to the police details of the examination centres sought by its Crime Branch, which is investigating the leaks of class 10 Mathematics and class 12 Economics papers.
The police had sought details of the examination centres, their superintendents and the contacts of banks where the papers were kept for safekeep.
An official privy to the probe said things like how the paper is set, details of where the question papers are kept and how they are distributed to various examination centres were discussed with the CBSE official.
A CBSE student from Cochin, Rohan Mathew approached the Supreme Court against the decision of CBSE to cancel and re-conduct the Mathematics exam.
Rohan Mathew, who is represented in the petition by his father Santhosh Mathew, a lawyer practicing in the High Court of Kerala, Live Law reported.
As Education Secretary announced that retest in class 10 Mathematics paper will only take place in Delhi and Haryana, students in other parts of the country found a reason to cheer.
Former CBSE chairman Ashok Ganguly on 30 March, lashed out at the board for "inept handling" of the CBSE paper leak issue, contending that the introduction of one set of question paper from this year did more harm than good both for the students as well as the board.
"When you are handling an examination of this magnitude, you should have a Plan B and Plan C ready. The leakages and the delay in announcing the dates of the re-examination of two papers show there was no such plans in place," Ganguly, who headed the board for eight years till 2008, told PTI.
Recalling an incident earlier where he was an observer to an entrance test, Gupta said, alternate question papers saved the test from being cancelled as the organisers acted swiftly, following reports of leakage.
Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Prakash Javadekar on 30 March called the CBSE's decision on re-conducting exams for class 10 and 12 leaked papers to be in "wider interest of the students and academics".
All India Parents Association will file a petition in the Delhi High Court on 2 April, seeking a court-monitored probe into the matter.
"The leaks have rocked the confidence of parents and students. Question is now being raised over the examination system being followed," President of the association and lawyer Ashok Agarwal told PTI. The petition will seek a direction from the High Court to CBSE for liberal marking during the re-examination.
It will also seek “special consideration” for the differently-abled students in the form of certain relaxations, Agarwal added.
Amid the growing uproar from the opposition over the paper leak and re-examination, Satyapal Singh, MoS, Human Resource Development urged not to politicise the matter.
“Education shouldn't be politicised. Education is a necessity for everyone & doing politics over it will not serve purpose of development of the country,” he told ANI.
Students protest outside CBSE office in East Delhi’s Preet Vihar against the board’s decision to conduct a retest.
Nearby roads have been jammed due to the ongoing agitation.
Making a breakthrough in the CBSE board exam question paper leak case, the Jharkhand police on 31 March arrested three adults and detained nine minors connected to the case.
The three have been arrested under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) while the detained minors will be produced before Juvenile Justice Board, Superintendent of Police of Jharkhand, Chatra told The Indian Express.
According to ANI, Delhi Police has sent 3 teams to schools, exam centers and the residences of students in outer Delhi.
More than 60 people have been questioned till now out of which 10 are tutors of coaching centers. The police has seized more than 50 cell phones of students and tutors till now, the news agency further said.
The CBSE, in a press release on Saturday, said that there are images of a fake Hindi question paper for Class 12 Boards being circulated on social media.
“It is bring to the kind notice that a fake question paper of Class XII - Hindi (Elective) (enclosed) is being circulated on social media i.e. whatsapp, you tube etc. is not a real one. It is hereby informed that the question papers circulating on these social media are either of old year or a fake question paper,” the press release said.
The Delhi Police's Crime Branch has got a reply from Google on the details it had sought pertaining to the e-mail address from where the CBSE chairperson was sent a mail about the class 10 Mathematics paper being leaked.
According to Delhi Police, e-mail address details have been received from Google and the person who sent the mail has been identified, ANI reported.
In yet another notification on Saturday, 31 March, the CBSE said the Sanskrit question paper that was circulating on social media was that of the previous year’s.
Three people were arrested by Delhi Police Crime Branch on Sunday, 1 April. While one of them is a coaching centre owner, the other two are teachers.
The teachers reportedly opened the papers at 9:15 am on the day of the Economics exam and passed it to the coaching centre owner, who in turn passed it to students, reported ANI.
The paper also reportedly leaked in handwritten form, for which the probe is on.
The Karkardooma court in Delhi on 1 April sent three accused in the CBSE paper leak case to two-day police custody.
Earlier in the day, three people were arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. While one of them is a coaching centre owner, the other two are teachers.
Addressing a press conference, Alok Kumar, joint CP (Crime Branch), Delhi Police, said:
HRD Ministry secretary Anil Swarup said on Sunday, 1 April, that a CBSE personnel, KS Rana, has been suspended with immediate effect, after he was found lax in supervising an examination centre. He added that a formal inquiry has been instituted.
CBSE Board Examinations for Class X and XII which were scheduled for Monday, 2 April, in the state of Punjab have been postponed due to the Bharat bandh call.
The Delhi High Court issued notice to CBSE, Delhi Police and HRD ministry on a PIL seeking Class X Mathematics paper be held earlier, and also seeking court monitored probe into thematter.
The Supreme Court will hear pleas related to CBSE re-examination on 4 April, reported ANI.
A fake letter in the name of CBSE dated 30 March is doing the rounds on social media saying class 10 Mathematics re-examination will be held on 30 April.
CBSE has denied the report and has further advised parents and teachers to refer to the official website for any communication from the board.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to Centre, CBSE and Delhi Police over the paper leak of class 10 and class 12 board examination.
Taking cognisance of the humiliation faced by the students which amounts to violation of right to dignity and education, the commission has sought a detailed report from the HRD Ministry, CBSE and Delhi Police within four weeks.
The commission has also directed the ministry to inform them about the steps taken for redressal.
HRD Ministry secretary Anil Swarup announced on Tuesday, 3 April, that the CBSE will not be re-conducting examination of class 10 Maths paper.
The HRD Ministry has set up a "high-powered committee" to examine the process by which the CBSE conducts examinations, following the paper leaks.
The panel, headed by former HRD secretary V S Oberoi, will also suggest measures to make the process "secure and foolproof through the use of technology" and submit a report by May 31 to the ministry.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday, 4 April dismissed all petitions filed over CBSE paper leak, reported ANI.
The apex court was hearing a plea reagrding re-examination.
HRD Ministry secretary Anil Swarup announced on Tuesday, 3 April, that the CBSE will not be re-conducting examination of class 10 Maths paper, even in Delhi-NCR and Haryana.
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