The Supreme Court on August 25 rejected a plea to reopen the CBSE Class 12 re-evaluation portal. Students sought access after claiming website crashes prevented their applications. The court questioned the delay in seeking re-evaluation.
Court's Decision
Chief Justice of India Surya Kant stated, "If you don’t use the bus, you miss the bus." He emphasized that the portal was available for a specific, notified period. The bench, including Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana, found no grounds to compel the CBSE to reopen the window.
Student Concerns and CBSE Response
The petition argued that the website crashed during the application period. This prevented many students from applying for on-screen verification. The petitioner requested an additional week for applications. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBSE, reported that 1.68 lakh students successfully applied within the original window. He also noted that the Delhi High Court had previously dismissed a similar request.
On-Screen Marking (OSM) System
The plea also challenged the new On-Screen Marking (OSM) system. This digital evaluation process makes scanned answer sheets available to examiners on computers. The petitioners alleged that scanning issues could lead to incomplete evaluation of pages or answers.
OSM Explained:
- Examiners view scanned answer sheets digitally.
- Marks are entered directly into the system.
- The system aims to speed up evaluation and reduce logistical issues.
Despite concerns about potential scanning errors, the Supreme Court's decision upholds the CBSE's original re-evaluation timeline. The request to reopen the portal has been denied.
