Allegations of irregularities in the March 2025 examinations by the Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) have been substantiated after forensic examination of answer scripts from Bilaspur district center confirmed tampering of test material related to manipulation of answer sheet in MCQ section.Dr Rajesh Sharma, chairperson of the board, said manipulation was suspected in the multiple-choice question section of the ART-A subject after written complaints were received from students, examination of answer sheets and subsequent expert examination and script checking at the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory in Dharamsala.A forensic lab report confirms tampering.According to officials, the investigation focused on the examination center of Rajkia Senior Secondary School Jhandota in Bilaspur district, where a total of forty students, including eleven candidates from Government High School Jeora, appeared for the examination as part of a detailed review of the examination process.Nine students from the Art-A stream submitted written complaints to the board alleging tampering in the multiple choice question (MCQ) section of their answer sheets, triggering a formal verification procedure after the examination which was later taken up by the board for scrutiny.Envelope transformation exposes methodological flaws.After verification, the officials said that the serial numbers of packing envelopes tampered with during the inquiry did not match the numbers recorded in the official packing memo, indicating possible substitution or exchange during handling of the answer scripts and inconsistencies in envelope records were highlighted during verification.This finding formed a key basis for further administrative examination of handling procedures.Students will benefit from getting the marks and the report will be sent to the Education Department.The chairperson of the board said that the students were not at fault and their educational interests would be protected. It was decided that the affected questions will be marked as per the examination rules, ensuring that the results are not affected. The complete case file and investigation report have been forwarded to the Education Department for further processing to ensure compliance with procedural standards. The Board reiterated that examination integrity measures will continue to be reviewed as per existing regulations. All relevant records have been formally submitted for departmental action subject to established procedural requirements for review.
