tests again

Petitioners’ plea

To squash the decision of the government to cancel the final exam of ITI conducted between July 11 and 31

Government claim

Exams were not conducted fairly, so they were cancelled

Court order

Conduct exams afresh

Date: September 24 and 27

Patna High Court on Friday upheld the government’s decision to cancel the final examination of Industrial Training Institutes and directed it to hold fresh tests in the last week of September.

The bench of Justice Ravi Ranjan passed the direction while dismissing a bunch of petitions challenging the government’s decision to cancel the final examination of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

Around 50,000 students of 410 ITIs, both public and private, would have to take the examination that would be conducted between September 24 and September 27. They would sit for the test at 39 centres.

Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Vijay Kumar Singh contended that the government had cancelled the examination without giving any reason on August 10 this year.

Singh submitted that the examination was conducted in a peaceful and fair manner.

“Even magistrates reported that the examination was peaceful and fair. Then, why did the state government cancel the examination, which was conducted between July 11 and 31, across the nation?” Singh said.

Seeking quashing of the letter issued by the labour department for conducting the examination afresh, Singh said students’ fate hinges only on this examination, as they would be awarded certificates for successfully completing the various courses

Countering the petitioners’ contention, advocate Prashant Pratap, appearing for the government, contended that the examination was not conducted in a fair manner. “It is evident from the fact that the seals of question papers in Supaul and Araria were broken and FIRs were lodged for malpractices in Munger, Darbhanga and Nawada,” he said.

Even the district magistrate of Nawada, in his report to the government, said one of the centre superintendents was found selling question papers for Rs 4,000 to each student, Pratap submitted, while buttressing his argument with the claim that photocopies of question papers were distributed among the students in Hajipur, Bhagalpur and Muzaffarpur. “This raises questions on the sanctity and fairness of the examination,” he said.

Citing the Supreme Court judgment, Pratap contended that in the case of examinations, discipline and fairness should be maintained with an iron hand and sympathy has no place.

Encroachment focus

Patna High Court on Friday directed the government to file its counter-affidavit with regard to removal of encroachments at Patna Medical College and Hospital and Nalanda Medical College and Hospital in Patna and Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital, Bhagalpur, within four weeks.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by one Vikash Chandra Guddu Baba.