OMR sheet: HC directs CBI to submit info about original server

MP, 2 July 2024, Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday reprimanded the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a case related to 2014 TET examination and directed the Central agency to take instructions on whether they can retrieve the server or hard disk in which scanned OMRs were kept. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stated that the West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) claimed that OMR sheets were scanned, in that case, it must be kept in a hard disk or server. Justice Mantha asked the CBI whether they have the hard disk and if it does, then the Court needs to be informed. It was further observed that if the agency fails to provide the same, the probe might be missing the right point. CBI will submit the information on whether the same can be done in the next hearing date. In an earlier hearing, the Board had informed the High Court that the original OMR sheets were destroyed but digitised information was kept. Also Read - ‘Lack of Guv’s nod stalls implementation of anti-lynching Bill in Bengal’ On May 3, Justice Mantha had raised several questions with regards to the facets of the case. One of the questions was, “Does the CBI need to engage another private reputed organisation to attempt to retrieve the erased data captured by the ADF Scanner?” The scanning was done using an ADF Scanner. This Scan would save the mirror image of the original OMR sheet answered by each candidate. The data stored by this ADF Scanner was allegedly destroyed by Kaushik Majhi, a partner of S Basu and Company, who had supplied 8,000 OMR sheets to the Board as per CBI report. What is available with S Basu and Company is the mirror image captured by a SEKONIC Scanner, data whereof is editable. The digital data prepared on the basis of the images of the OMR sheets scanned by the SEKONIC Scanner are therefore not reliable and the OMR sheets captured by this process can be manipulated, the Court had observed. https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/omr-sheet-hc-directs-cbi-to-submit-info-about-original-server-570333