Kolkata:
A Class 12 student from West Bengal's East Midnapore district took a calculated risk when she crossed her mathematics exam paper, hoping to fail in it.
But she failed in her mission, and was awarded 54 per cent marks. Now she has approached the Calcutta High Court to right the wrong done to her.
Malabika Maiti said she should not have been declared pass in the Class 12 mathematics exam she took this year as she had deliberately crossed her answers, hoping to reappear in the exam next year.
"She had crossed all her answers with red ink after she realised that she would not get good marks. But when the results were declared she was given 54 marks (out of 100). Our contention is that the paper was not properly evaluated," said Gautam Dey, her counsel, on Saturday.
Malabika, a student of Haripur School in East Midnapore, attempted several questions in the mathematics paper but later cancelled the answers with red ink so that these were not evaluated and she failed. She hoped to perform better next year.
"All her hopes of reappearing next year have been dashed. Like a student has the right to pass, similarly he or she has the right to fail," counsel Dey said.
"On our request, the court of Jyotirmay Bhattacharya has asked the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education to present her answer scripts on Aug 17," Dey added.
"After a student gets pass marks, he/she cannot reappear in the exam. Only failed candidates are allowed. So we hope that the court will uphold Malabika's right to fail...and make her future bright," Dey said.
Malabika secured 64 in Bengali, 61 in English, 60 in chemistry, 54 in mathematics, 58 in physics, 54 in biology and 76 in environmental science. The minimum pass marks in each of the 100-marks exam is 30.