Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jun 15: The issue of granting grace marks for mathematics paper of second PU has again cropped up before the state high court. The state high court has instructed Karnataka State PU Examination Board to provide clear stand over the issue of grace marks by Monday.

The division bench of the high court headed by Chief Justice S K Mukherjee, which is hearing a petition filed by Bhuvanajyoti Education Trust, Moodbidri, wondered at the fact that the board had earlier stated that grace marks were not given. It asked the board to verify the information obtained online and provide accurate information.

The high court had, on June 1 this year, dismissed the public interest litigation filed by the petitioners, after taking on record the statement of the government advocate that no grace marks were allotted for mathematics paper to second PU students of Karnataka. However, when considering the interim petition filed by the petitioners after obtaining information about grace marks obtained under Right to Information Act, the division bench expressed resentment at the functioning of the board.

It is said that as per the information obtained by the petitioners under Right to Information Act, the evaluators had granted 21 grace marks to students who attempted certain questions in mathematics paper. The grace marks so given were also for questions picked from within the syllabus.

After mathematics examination of second PU was held, students and parents had come up with demand for grace marks, pointing out that the question paper was tough, and several questions were out of syllabus. Minister, Kimmane Ratnakar, had said that a committee would be formed to examine whether questions were out of syllabus, and if the committee finds that questions were out of the syllabus, grace marks would be allotted for specific questions. Later, he had said that no grace marks would be allotted as the committee found that none of the questions were out of syllabus.

However, it is said that the department orally asked the evaluators to give grace marks, and this instruction was complied with. This issue has thus snowballed into a controversy and the government will find it hard to explain its stand on the issue.