The continuing deadlock over the loss of 276 answer scripts of the third semester M.A. Sanskrit Sahitya exam of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit has added to the worries of the aspirants.
With the answer scripts yet to be traced, the students worry that the inordinate delay in resolving the issue will affect their plans to apply for higher studies. The varsity Syndicate had suspended a senior faculty member of the department, who was the chairperson of the exam evaluation while holding him responsible for the loss. He had denied the allegations stating that the answer scripts and grade sheet were handed over to the head of the department on March 17. The department head had denied receiving the answer scripts. A section of the teachers had demanded that the suspension of the Associate Professor should be revoked immediately.
The students had petitioned Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is also the Chancellor of the university, against the loss of answer scripts and pointed out that any delay in finding a solution would affect their future programmes. A student, who wished to apply for B.Ed programme, said that the deadlock over the answer scripts would foil her chances to apply for the course. “We are all worried that the authorities have not yet recovered the answer scripts,” she said. The students had also objected to the proposal to conduct a re-examination in the wake of the loss of the answer scripts.
Vice Chancellor P.K. Dharmarajan said that the police were probing the loss of answer scripts. A Syndicate sub-committee has also launched an inquiry. The Syndicate meet to be held on July 30 will discuss the issue, he said.
On whether the entry was made in the transit register confirming the handing over of the answer scripts from the department to the exam wing, Prof. Dharmarajan said that no such entry was recorded. There was also no record available in the exam wing of having received the answer scripts, he said.
