The CBSE today told the Delhi High Court that over 1600 persons surfed the websites where the Class 12th Physics question papers, allegedly leaked in Manipur, were posted .
A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed, which is hearing a PIL seeking re-examination in the subject across the country and not just Manipur, took note of the reply of Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and asked it to further probe the case.
The CBSE, which has decided to conduct re-examination of Physics paper in Manipur zone, told the court that certain websites, which hosted leaked question papers, got over 1600 hits and maximum 500 Delhi-based persons visited them. Nearly 200 persons, based in foreign countries, also visited the sites, it said, adding only 16 persons of Manipur area surfed those websites.
The bench, also comprising Justice Siddharth Mridul, then asked the CBSE to probe further as to whether the netizens were to take the examinations and file a status report on or before April 16.
Earlier, the court had taken note of the PIL filed by Delhi-based lawyer Rajiv Ranjan Dwivedi and had asked the CBSE to investigate into the claim that the question papers were leaked, circulated on web sites and were also being sold in markets in Manipur.
The petitioner has also sought a direction to the CBSE and the Human Resources and Development (HRD) Ministry to conduct re-examination of Physics paper across the country.
Dwivedi also alleged despite admitting that the question papers were leaked, CBSE "is conducting the re-examination of Physics paper in Manipur only which is wholly unconstitutional and violative of equality before Law."
During the hearing, the bench had observed that the CBSE should have anticipated that once leaked on web sites, the question paper would have "spread like a wildfire".
The PIL said the CBSE has "admitted" that the question paper was leaked and even circulated on the internet and it was sold for "very minor consideration" at Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000.