A student outside an examination centre in Vasant Kunj said the news of the alleged leak was the first thing she saw on her mobile.
As soon as students came out of their examination centres on Thursday, they were greeted by news that the CBSE’s Class XII Accountancy question paper was leaked minutes before they started writing the exam.
While CBSE has denied the leak, social media was abuzz with allegations through the day. Many students posted photos of a question paper that was purportedly leaked, and was being circulated on WhatsApp, allegedly before the exam began.
“I was quite disappointed. These allegations should be probed seriously. Even before the allegations were made, there were whispers about a leak. I did not take them seriously… but if that is the case, the Board must ensure fairness,” said a student from a prominent south Delhi school, who did not want to be named.
A student outside an examination centre in Vasant Kunj said the news of the alleged leak was the first thing she saw on her mobile.
“Those who have got those papers will do well; we will be the ones suffering,” a student of Heritage School said. She added that she did not receive the “leaked” paper.
Many students alleged that other papers had been leaked as well, but no complaints were received by CBSE in the case.
The Board exam starts at 10.30 am and the papers’ seals are broken at around 10.15 am. Students are given 15 minutes to read the paper.
According to the guidelines, if a leak is proved, CBSE calls for a re-examination.
A re-examination was last held in 2014 for the Physics examination in Manipur, after questions were leaked on a website.
In 2006, the Business Studies paper was leaked. As police in Panipat, Haryana, were searching for suspects related to the Varanasi bomb blasts, they found the leaked papers. Since the papers were recovered before the exam, it was held as scheduled after the paper was replaced.
In 2011, three persons were arrested in Andaman and Nicobar Islands for leaking the Class XII Science and Mathematics papers.