AIPMT: Academician seeks ministry intervention on CBSE 'no info' reply

Times of India: Chandigarh: Sunday, 18 October 2015.

Following a 'no information' reply by CBSE on an RTI asking information about the refund of amount that candidates had deposited for filing objections in AIPMT question paper, a city-based academician has written to ministry of human resource and development for necessary action. Many candidates had filed three to four objections, with each costing Rs 1,000. However, later the exam was cancelled by the Supreme Court.

Questioning CBSE's reply that "requisite information is not available in the CBSE and is not in larger public interest", Arvind Goyal who had filed the RTI application, stated, "If the students have submitted Rs 1,000 per objection filed through the required channel as mentioned by the CBSE on their website, then how is it possible that there is no record available for the amount of money remitted to CBSE through the objections filed?

"Does the CBSE mean to say all this money is unaccounted? It is also hard to believe that the CBSE does not have any record of questions for which objections were submitted to it. Any exam which affects nearly 5.75 lakh candidates all over India is definitely an issue in larger public interest. We are unable to understand why the CBSE is denying this information?" he questioned in his letter.

In another RTI filed by Goyal about the grace marks given to the students for a wrong question in AIPMT re test and number of objections received, CBSE stated that 112 students had filed objections and four marks were awarded for this question to the students. CBSE further stated that the process of refunding money to the students will be initiated shortly.

Goyal said, "The CBSE should upload the final answer key on its website before declaration of the result. This not only will be beneficial academically but also will enable a student to know which of his objections has been accepted and how much money he should expect as refund from the CBSE. Many students had filed objections for questions in the AIPMT held on May 3 which later stood cancelled. The CBSE must refund the money to those students also."

Question for which grace marks were awarded follows, Q No. 36 of Code B- "A colour blind man marries a woman with normal sight who has no history of colour blindness in the family. What is the probability of their grandson being colour blind?"