AIPMT: Give reason for non-refund of fee to students, CBSE told

The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) has sought an explanation from CBSE regarding non-refund of money to the students who had filed objections to a question in the AIPMT re-test held in July

The ministry of human resource development (MHRD) has sought an explanation from CBSE regarding non-refund of money to the students who had filed objections to a question in the AIPMT re-test held in July.

The step has been taken in response to the local academician’s representation dated October 3 to the ministry.

The ministry’s letter directs the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to “send a suitable reply to each complainant and petitioner within a period of 10 days and a copy of the same to the ministry”.

The board had earlier stated that it had initiated the process of refund of money to the candidates who had filed objections to a question in the biology section of the All-India Pre-Medical Test (AIPMT) held on July 25, but the students are yet to get the same.

Replying to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by local academician Arvind Goyal, the CBSE had said 112 students across the country had submitted objections to this question, for which five grace marks each had already been awarded.

The test had been re-conducted after the Supreme Court had scrapped the one held on May 3, following allegations of paper leak.

Goyal had earlier filed a petition with the Punjab and Haryana high court, seeking directions to the CBSE to display the AIPMT answer key and invite objections to questions. He had also submitted an RTI application to the CBSE earlier, seeking information about the total fee received from the students for filing objections regarding the May-3 AIPMT. The board, however, denied having any concrete information about the money received.

This is when he wrote to the Union HRD ministry in this regard. The letter had stated that, “It is hard to believe that the CBSE does not have any record of questions for which objections were submitted to the board. Any exam that affects nearly 5.75 lakh candidates all over the country is definitely an issue in larger public interest.”

Under CBSE rules

According to the CBSE rules, a candidate has to deposit `1,000 per question for raising an objection. The amount has to be refunded if the objection is accepted.

A local student’s parent Sheaba Kochar said, “My son filed objections to four questions, which amounts to `4,000. But the board is yet to give any response regarding the fee refund.”

Further, Goyal added that since the AIPMT that was held on May 3 stood cancelled, the CBSE must refund the money to all the students who had submitted the fee for the objections to the answer key of that exam. “Why should the students suffer for no fault?” he added.