NEW DELHI: Days after a Delhi student alleged that the physics answer sheet uploaded under his CBSE roll number belonged to someone else, the board has now admitted the mistake and sent him the correct answer script, putting an unusual and widely discussed class XII controversy to rest – at least partially.The student, Vedant, whose posts on X sparked a wide-ranging debate about CBSE’s new on-screen marking (OSM) system, said on Monday evening that CBSE officials had shared the correct physics answer sheet after reaching out to the family and reviewing the matter.“We have received my correct answer sheet from CBSE. CBSE officials reached us in the evening and sent my answer sheet. We were correct in our claims and the answer sheet was indeed exchanged,” Vedant wrote on X.The development comes amid ongoing scrutiny of CBSE’s digital assessment and answer sheet access process this year, which has already seen complaints of portal crashes, blurry scans, missing pages and payment errors.From low numbers to viral controversyVedanta was the first to raise concerns after securing lower-than-expected marks in Physics in the CBSE Class XII results announced earlier this month. After applying for scanned copies of his examined answer books, he claimed that the physics paper uploaded under his roll number did not match his handwriting or attempted answers.“The handwriting style, the spacing, the italics, the flow of sentences – everything was different,” he wrote earlier, sharing comparisons with his English and computer science answer sheets.The posts gained instant attention online, garnering millions of views and sparking a backlash on social media. While many students supported him and shared similar grievances, others accused him of trying to defame CBSE.According to PTI, some users even labeled him as “anti-national” and “Pakistani” on the complaint after his X account location was displayed as “South Asia”.Reflecting on the incident after CBSE admitted the mistake, Vedant wrote, “People called us anti-national and Pakistani only because we expressed genuine concern and in the end truth prevailed.”CBSE confirmed the technical glitch.In response to Vedanta on X, CBSE acknowledged the issue and said that the correct answer sheet has been sent to the student’s registered email address.“Thank you for bringing your concern regarding your Physics answer book to our attention. After review, the matter has been looked into, and a correct copy of your answer book has been sent to your registered email address,” the board said.“Necessary action to update your results, as applicable, is also being taken accordingly,” CBSE added.Vedanta also said the family would still apply for re-examination after reviewing the newly received answer sheet.The family calls for careful OSM implementation.Speaking to PTI, Vedant’s brother Siddhanth Srivastava said the family was not against the digitized assessment system but questioned the speed of its implementation.“They admit that OSM can in principle be a good system for transparency and efficiency, but such a system should undergo phased testing and validation before full implementation,” PTI reported.Vedanta, meanwhile, urged the CBSE to investigate whether other students could be affected by a similar exchange of answer sheets.
