HSC chemistry exam | Not a paper leak, no re-exam’: Board clarifies after 2 held over paper circulation

According to Nagpur Police, one of the accused is associated with a small tuition class and the other is a member of the WhatsApp group through which the paper was circulated. Sadar Police Inspector Amol Deshmukh said, “The arrests were made at 3 am today. Interrogation is ongoing and further details will emerge. Until we reach the main source, we cannot disclose identities.” He added that students have not yet been questioned as examinations are underway. The tuition class reportedly has around 10 to 12 students.

The suspected leak surfaced on February 18 in Nagpur’s Mankapur area, when an invigilator at St Ursula’s College grew suspicious after a girl student took nearly 20 minutes in the washroom during the Chemistry examination scheduled for 11 am. On searching, a mobile phone was found in her possession.

Shital Peter, Principal of the centre, said the matter was immediately escalated. “On February 18, as per routine procedure, girls were checked inside a room and boys outside before entering the exam hall. Everything was normal until about an hour into the exam, when a girl from SFS College, Seminary Hills whose centre was at our college went to the washroom and did not return for nearly 20 minutes,” she told The Indian Express.

She added, “When she came back, the invigilator found her behaviour suspicious and checked her, discovering a mobile phone in her pocket. The conductor, who was on rounds, was called and quietly took her outside along with her writing material and the phone. The girl began crying and claimed she had not cheated, but she was informed that merely carrying a phone into the exam hall is a violation in itself.”

On checking the device, authorities found that an image of the Chemistry paper had been received on a WhatsApp group around 10.37 am to 10.40 am, minutes before the examination began. Further examination revealed that the Physics paper held on February 16 had also been shared in the same group around 10.30 am. Around 12 students were part of the group.

According to officials, the student had accessed the message during the initial checking process but did not open it. Authorities said she did not gain any benefit as she was unable to use the phone inside the hall. Another student who was part of the same WhatsApp group was later questioned; her phone, found in her bag, confirmed her presence in the group. Police subsequently took over the investigation.

Police sources said the accused, during custody, revealed that they had received the question papers from another WhatsApp group. Following this disclosure, the police have expanded their investigation.

The girl was distraught and had broken down crying. The principal said she consoled the girl and refrained from immediately filing a copying case, considering the child’s mental state.

While initial concerns were raised over a possible leak, Board officials stressed that the timing of the circulation ruled out a systemic breach.

Nandkumar Bedse, Chairperson of MSBSHSE, said, “The Board has registered an FIR in connection with the incident and police investigation is underway. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against those found responsible, based on the findings of the probe.”

He added, “This is ten minutes after all students are already seated in the exam hall. As a result it is clear that it has not been of any help to students at large. The timing also suggests that the image was taken after the bundle of question papers was opened, which doesn’t happen before they reach respective exam centres and are opened only sometime before the scheduled time of the paper which was 11am for the said paper.”

Bedse clarified that only questions were found on the particular student’s phone, and a decision on disciplinary action against her is yet to be taken. For now, she has been permitted to appear for the remaining examinations.
He also rejected speculation about the involvement of Board officials. “While police are investigating the matter, the Board too will conduct an internal inquiry to determine at what stage this breach occurred. And strict action will be taken against those found responsible,” he said, noting that Board offices have limited staff who are not involved in the day to day handling of sealed question paper bundles. Those responsibilities are carried out by teachers appointed for specific examination duties.

Board officials reiterated that the HSC examinations will continue as per schedule and there will be no re-examination for the Chemistry paper, as the circulation was limited to a single WhatsApp group involving a few students.

The incident comes against the backdrop of recurring cases in recent years where images of question papers were circulated minutes before exams. Until last year, sealed bundles were opened about ten minutes before the scheduled start to give students reading time, a practice suspected to have created a window for photographs to be taken and shared. The Board has since revised the system. Question papers are now distributed strictly at the scheduled start time 11 am in this case and students are compensated with an additional ten minutes at the end of the exam.