Supreme Court declines plea to reopen CBSE re-evaluation portal

The Supreme Court of India has declined a plea to reopen the re-evaluation portal for Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Class 12 examination answer sheets. The court was hearing a petition from students who raised concerns regarding the On-Screen Marking (OSM) system, a digital grading method where teachers evaluate scanned copies of physical answer sheets on computers.

Petitioners argued that the digital scanning process led to irregularities, such as illegible scans and certain pages or answers being missed during evaluation. They also claimed that technical issues, including website crashes, prevented many students from applying for verification within the allotted timeframe.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant refused the request, noting that the portal had been available to all candidates for a specific period. The Chief Justice remarked, “If you don’t use the bus, you miss the bus,” suggesting that reopening the window could lead to further claims. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBSE, noted that 68 lakh students had successfully applied during the notified window and mentioned that the Delhi High Court had previously dismissed a similar challenge.