Answer-sheets found disposed off before results declaration
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 03 2012:
Even before the final results of the DPC conducted by Board of Secondary Education, Manipur (BSEM) in 2006 for recruitment of Primary Teachers are yet to be declared; the answer sheets of the candidates have been reportedly sold off to private firms and disposed off.
The matter came to light after one Ningombam Chitralekha of Khurai Thoudam Leikai, a candidate in the recruitment process, applied to the Secretary of BSEM for supplying information with regard to the conduct of the examinations and its proceedings through RTI Act.
According to the information supplied by the Board to N Chitralekha, the Board had disposed off the answer sheets of the candidates in consonance with a decision taken during a joint meeting on May 15, 2008. The meeting unanimously decided to call tenders and sold off the answers scripts to the highest bidder.
Consequently, Chitralekha also made a written complaint to the State Chief Information Commissioner, Manipur Information Commission.
In the written complaint, Chitralekha pointed out that she had approached the Board to give the names and roll numbers of the OBC candidates who got the highest and the lowest marks in the written examination.
But the Secretary of BSEM conveyed that it would be impossible to furnish the information being sought since the answer sheets of the candidates had been disposed off in accordance with the norms of the Board of Secondary Education.
Chitralekha maintained that the information she had sought is in accordance to the RTI, Act, Section 2 (F and I) .
The Board of Secondary Education, Manipur is not above RTI Act and hence it is liable to supply the information being sought, the failure of which may evoke punishment under section 20 of RTI Act.