The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Prosecute Chandy, Basheer, says SFI

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 24, 2006

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Prosecute Chandy, Basheer, says SFI

Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer should be prosecuted for reducing the SSLC examinations to a farce, SFI general secretary K.K. Ragesh has said.

In a press release issued here on Thursday, Mr. Ragesh pointed out that last year Mr. Chandy and Mr. Basheer had initially stated that no question paper had leaked. Then they were forced to admit that three question papers had leaked.

At that time, the students' organisations had demanded that an inquiry be held into the matter and the examinations postponed. However, Mr. Chandy and Mr. Basheer maintained that no other question paper had leaked.

[The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had informed the Kerala High Court on Tuesday that the investigation in the SSLC question paper leak case had revealed that the question papers of all subjects were leaked out in 2005.]

It was clear after the Crime Branch inquiry that all question papers had leaked last year. Despite directives from the High Court stating there should be greater security for the question papers, the transportation of the question papers was entrusted to a private courier service.

When the news became public, the Chief Minister and the Education Minister again stated that no question paper had leaked. It also demanded a CBI whether the question papers had leaked this year too.

Samithi demand

The Adhyapaka Service Sangatana Samara Samithi has demanded the immediate resignation of Education Minister E.T. Mohammed Basheer in the light of the finding by the CBI that all the question papers of last year's SSLC examination had leaked out and that there were problems connected with the conduct of the examination from 2001 onwards.

General convener of the organisation C.R. Joseprakash said in a statement here on Thursday that the CBI's disclosure had caused mental anguish to all the students who had worked hard and scored high marks in the examination.

The disclosure had also led to the devaluation of the SSLC certificate both inside and outside Kerala, the general convener said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail