UGC rolls back disqualification of NET students,orders manual check

The move came after students protested the decision stating that there were no clear instructions on the question paper to suggest that the use of whitener would lead to disqualification.

However,UGC Secretary Dr Akhilesh Gupta said there were instructions on the question paper prohibiting the use of whitener or white fluid. But,he said,the measure of punishment was not stated.

“We realised that disqualification for use of fluid and scratching answers on the OMR sheet was not stated in the instructions and that is why we have decided not to disqualify these aspirants,” Dr Gupta told Newsline. However,marks will be deducted for particular responses on which whitener has been used or from which ink has been scratched,he said.

In a statement,UGC stated that it would manually correct all such answer scripts. “This decision will be applicable only to June 2013 exam. However,in the future examinations,candidates will be liable to be disqualified in case response(s) is/are changed by scratching or using white fluid,” the statement said.