Directing the State government to re-tally the marks of the 3 lakh intermediate students, who were declared failed, the Telangana High Court on Monday said that it would hold a special sitting on May 8 to hear the matter despite summer vacations for the HC.
A Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy instructed the government and the Intermediate Board to present before it details of how many students passed after re-tallying the marks. A decision would be taken on re-evaluation of answer sheets of the remaining candidates after assessing how many passed in the re-tally test, the Bench said.
While hearing a petition filed by a voluntary organisation Balala Hakkula Sangam over the alleged goof-up by the Intermediate Board officials in declaration of results, the Bench last week directed the government to come with its stand on re-evaluation of answer sheets of three lakh ‘failed students’. Resuming the hearing on Monday, the Bench said it was ready to hold special sitting on May 8 even as summer vacations for the HC would be on by that time. The Bench instructed the government to come with details of re-tallying of marks by that date.
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Immediate solution
Counsel for the petitioner Achyutha Rao of Balala Hakkula Sangham, C. Damodar Reddy, requested the Bench to pass orders for re-evaluation of the answer sheets of all the students. The failure of authorities left future of 3 lakh students in doldrums. Nearly 21 students ended their lives after announcement of the results, he said. The State should be held accountable for this, he argued.
The Acting CJ said he too would agree with the contention of the petitioner. But the need of the hour is to find a solution immediately to the problem so that agitated students are assured that failure of authorities would not cost them their future, he said. The Bench said that many of the students declared failed by the Board might pass during re-verification of marks since the Intermediate Board itself admitted that software problem caused the damage.
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State’s liability
The bench observed that the possibility of genuine failures because of students not performing well cannot be ignored. “The biggest tragedy of a person is to carry the body of his or her own son or daughter….” the Bench noted when the counsel argued that government should reach out to the parents who lost their teenaged wards. Posting the matter to May 8 for next hearing, the Bench said the State’s liability to answer the parents was also relevant but it would take up that point at a later stage.