HC forms 2 bodies to probe question paper leak

The High Court on Thursday formed two committees to probe question paper leak in the ongoing Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and its equivalent examinations.
A HC bench comprising Justice Zubayer Rahman Chowdhury and Justice Md Iqbal Kabir formed the probe bodies.
Dhaka District and Sessions judge will head the judicial probe committee while BUET Professor Mohammad Kaykobad the administrative one. Each team will have five members.
The order came on Thursday following a writ petition by four Supreme Court lawyers - Ainun Nahar Siddiqa, Sikder Mahmudur Razi, Md Raju Mia and Nur Mohammad Azmi.
They filed the writ petition on Wednesday seeking HC order on a judicial probe into the question paper leakage.
The writ petition also sought cancellation of the ongoing SSC exams that have already been held.
The petitioners claimed that the SSC examinations in nine out of 10 subjects were held amid leakage of question papers.
"The duty of the judicial probe committee is to find out the people involved in question paper leak and determine their punishments. The task of the administrative committee is to determine the actions, which shall be taken to obstruct the leak and to find out the solutions to this problem," said petitioners' lawyer Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua.
He said the committees have to start functioning within seven days of getting the copy of the court's order and have to finish their tasks within 30 days and submit their reports.
The court also issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in two weeks as to why the government's inaction in preventing question paper leak shall not be declared illegal.
Education Secretary, Primary and Mass Education Secretary, Law Secretary, Drafting Wing Secretary of the Law Ministry, ICT Secretary, Secretary and Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, Head of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd, Director General and Chairman of Secondary and Higher Education Division, Chairmen of Dhaka, Rajshahi, Comilla, Jessore, Chittagong, Barisal, Sylhet, Dinajpur Education Boards and Madrasa Education Board and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) have been asked to reply the rule.
During Thursday's hearing, the court described the 'epidemic question leak as an issue more serious than drug addiction', said Mahmudur Razi, one of the four petitioners.
"The students who are giving the SSC and HSC exams today will lead Bangladesh in five to ten years. If they go through this, there's a risk that the whole nation will collapse," he said.