Exam results fiasco: Telangana oppn parties seek judicial probe


Hyderabad: As protests over the ‘goof up’ in declaration of results of intermediate exams entered the fourth day Thursday, Opposition parties led by the Congress met Telangana Governor ESL Narasimhan and demanded a judicial inquiry into it.

State Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who led a delegation of leaders from the Congress, TDP, CPI and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) met the Governor and demanded that an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh be paid to the families of the deceased.

He also sought the suspension of the authorities concerned besides the dismissal of education minister G Jagadeesh Reddy for his alleged incompetence and casual approach.

The Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) should take up recounting and revaluation for every student, who applies, without any fee and not just those who failed, he said.

The Governor assured to take efforts to ensure that the aggrieved students get justice, Reddy told reporters here. Congress leaders and workers staged demonstrations in front of district Collectors across the state.

As many as 13 students had allegedly committed suicide so far, after they were declared ‘failed’ in the exams. A delegation led by BJP state unit president K Laxman also called on the Governor separately.

Among other demands, they sought sacking of the education minister and suspension of the board secretary, BJP sources said. Education Secretary B Janardhan Reddy Thursday said those who failed in the examinations need not apply for recounting or re-verification.

Those who passed have to apply for recounting and reverification as per normal procedure, he added. In a relief to the students, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had Wednesday directed officials not to charge any fee for recounting and reverification of papers of students who failed in the exams.

Rao, who held a meeting with Jagadeesh Reddy and officials on the declaration of results and subsequent developments, had directed expedition of the process of recounting and reverification in the interests of students.

The advanced supplementary exam should be conducted and results declared at the earliest as students would have to appear for competitive exams like NEET and JEE, he had said.

Also, he had asked officials to evolve a strategy for smooth conduct of exams and evaluation without any problem in future. The state government has constituted a three-member committee to look into the allegations of irregularities in the declaration of the results.

The exams were conducted during February-March this year and the results were announced April 18. Many students and parents have been agitating against the alleged goof-up in the paper evaluation. Since Saturday last, they have been demanding a thorough reverification of papers of those who had failed. Some parents said their children were meritorious and expressed shock that they’d failed or scored very less marks.