The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Delhi High Court alleging large-scale irregularities and procedural deficiencies in the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system recently introduced by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for evaluating examination answer sheets.
Filed through Advocates Rishav Ranjan, Ajay Chhikara, Omar Hoda, Eesha Bakshi and Shubham Mishra on behalf of NSUI President Vinod Jhakhar, the petition seought judicial intervention for an independent inquiry into the functioning of the digital evaluation mechanism, alleging technical glitches, lack of transparency, and an ineffective grievance redressal framework affecting lakhs of students who appeared in the CBSE Class XII examinations.
According to the plea, the OSM system was introduced as a technology-driven process under which physical answer books are scanned and digitally evaluated. However, following the declaration of results, a large number of students, parents and teachers reportedly raised concerns over blurred or illegible scanned copies, missing pages, incomplete uploads of answer scripts, mismatched answer sheets, unexpectedly low marks, and the absence of an effective mechanism for manual verification of evaluated answer books.
The petition contended that the large number of requests made by students seeking access to scanned answer sheets immediately after the declaration of results reflects an extraordinary level of concern and a significant lack of confidence in the evaluation process. It argues that such widespread apprehension cannot be treated as a routine post-result exercise and instead raises serious questions regarding the reliability, transparency, and integrity of the assessment system.
NSUI further submitted that the existing grievance redressal mechanism was inadequate and failed to provide students with meaningful remedies. According to the plea, affected students have been restricted to limited digital processes and denied any effective opportunity for manual rechecking, physical verification, or independent scrutiny of disputed answer books.
The petition argued that the absence of a robust corrective framework caused continuing prejudice to students because admission processes and other time-sensitive academic activities continue while evaluation-related grievances remain unresolved. It submitted that delays in addressing such disputes may have long-term consequences for students seeking admission to higher educational institutions.
The PIL sought directions to reopen the verification portal for one month and permit manual rechecking and physical verification of answer books in disputed cases. It further sought direct oversight by the Union Government and the constitution of an independent inquiry to examine the functioning of the OSM system and the alleged irregularities associated with it.
The PIL also requested the formulation of appropriate safeguards, regulatory protocols, and operational guidelines to ensure transparency, accountability, procedural fairness, and effective grievance redressal in future digital evaluation systems adopted by educational authorities.
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