MADURAI: Coming to the aid of a Pudukottai-based student who was awarded 193 marks after his higher secondary board exam mathematics paper was re-valuated, the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) directed the secretary of Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions to make a fresh allotment to the student in the rank list.
According to petitioner Ponnusamy, his son Prakash appeared for the Higher Secondary Examination conducted by the State Board of Examinations held in 2014 and was an outstanding student. When the results were published, he was awarded just 153 marks in mathematics. As he had expected higher marks, he applied for a copy of the answer sheets. To his shock, the copy contained only 34 sheets and pages 35 to 38 were missing.
Stating that his son’s ambition was to pursue engineering, he said, being awarded low marks in math denied him a seat in leading engineering colleges. The petitioner approached the court seeking that the education department find the missing pages of the answer booklet and award marks for the missing portion. The petitioner also prayed that his son be given an appropriate rank in the admission of engineering course.
When the case came up before Justice K K Sasidharan, the director of Government Examination submitted that he considered the answer papers of the petitioner’s son and awarded 193 marks.
He further stated that the lost answer sheets had been found and the petitioner perused them and was satisfied that correct marks were awarded to him. Hence, the judge directed the secretary of Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions to consider the marks now awarded and make a fresh rank allotment to the student within a week.