The agitation by students appearing for the Bombay High Court clerk examination has been temporarily called off following directions from the Bombay High Court. The candidates had protested after technical problems with typing machines prevented the examination from starting on time at several centres across Maharashtra.
The students had demanded that the affected candidates be given another opportunity to appear for the test. Sornet ITIS Private Limited, the company involved in the examination process, has also acknowledged in its report that technical issues were responsible for the delay in starting the examination.
Students demand re-examination after technical problems
Candidates appearing for the Bombay High Court Clerk Typing Skill Test reported technical problems at several examination centres on Sunday. Issues including server failure, malfunctioning keyboards and candidates being logged out during the test were reported from different parts of Maharashtra.
The problems were particularly reported at centres in Kalyan, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, Washim and Bhandara, among other locations. In Kalyan and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, affected candidates staged protests after being unable to take the examination despite reaching the centres on time.
Students stopped judge's car during protest
The situation escalated at an examination centre when protesting students stopped the car of District Sessions Court judge Pravin Sayyed. According to the students, they had been called to speak to the judge but alleged that he attempted to leave through the rear entrance. The protesting candidates then sat in front of his car, with some reportedly lying down underneath it.
The situation was later brought under control after Kalyan division's Zone DCP Atul Zende and ACP Ashok Honmane intervened and spoke to the protesting candidates.
High Court assures re-exam for affected candidates
The students said they were subsequently given written directions from the Bombay High Court stating that candidates whose examination was affected by technical problems would be given another opportunity to take the test. The directions also stated that no candidate affected by the technical issue would be marked absent.
Following the written assurance, the protesting students allowed the judge's car to leave and called off their agitation.
Sornet ITIS acknowledges technical issue
The students' demand for a re-examination gained further ground after Sornet ITIS Private Limited, which was involved in conducting the examination, acknowledged the technical problems in its report. The company reportedly accepted that the examination could not begin on time due to technical issues.
Candidates had complained that the problems were beyond their control and that they should not be penalised for failures in the examination system.
Over 600 candidates protest in Kalyan
More than 600 candidates appearing at the APMC Market examination centre in Kalyan reportedly joined the protest. The candidates continued their agitation until late at night, when officials provided a written acknowledgement that the examination could not be conducted because of technical problems. The written communication also reportedly acknowledged that the candidates had reached the centre on time but were unable to appear for the test because of the technical issues.
Students call for better examination system
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's Shantanu Biroje said the government needs to improve both the examination infrastructure and technical systems. He said candidates should not have to repeatedly visit examination centres and protest because of technical failures. According to Biroje, students come to examination centres to take tests and not to protest. He said the system should be improved so that technical problems do not affect candidates' time or future.
Protests also held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
Candidates affected by the technical problems also protested in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Abhijit Dipke, founder of the 'Cockroach Janata Party' (CJP), extended support to the protesting candidates there and backed their demand for a re-examination.
The reported technical problems across multiple centres have raised concerns among candidates about the reliability of the examination system. For now, the agitation has been suspended following the assurance that affected candidates will be given another opportunity to take the test.
(Inputs by Sunil Sharma, Kalyan)
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