Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed that the results of NIOS tests for untrained primary teachers in West Bengal will not be published till March 29, on a petition challenging cancellation of earlier examination held in December last year.
Justice Samapti Chatterjee also directed that the candidates will have to sit for a re-examination of the two subjects, which had been earlier cancelled.
The National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) has scheduled re-examination of the two subjects - Understanding Children in Inclusive Context and Community and Elementary Education, on February 3.
Justice Chatterjee directed that the results for candidates from West Bengal will not be published till March 29, when the matter would be heard again.
Additional Solicitor General Kaushik Chanda submitted that the earlier examination was cancelled owing to leak of question papers.
The petitioner, a candidate, moved the high court, claiming that he had been prejudiced as after having sat for the examination in a fair manner on December 20 and December 21, the papers were cancelled on December 26 by the NIOS through a public notification.
Petitioner's lawyer Firdous Shamim submitted before Justice Chatterjee that while the examination was held for candidates throughout the country, it has been cancelled in West Bengal only.
Shamim also asked for a CBI probe into the alleged leak of question papers.
As per data sheet released by the NIOS, there are 1.69 lakh candidates enrolled for the 2017-2019 diploma course in West Bengal, Shamim said.
The NIOS is a statutory body under the Ministry of Human Resources Development, which has been tasked to train in-service teachers and grant them Diploma on Elementary Education after they pass in the examination.
