The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s response to a public interest litigation challenging the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) on-screen marking (OSM) system for evaluating answer sheets.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant directed the Centre to place its response and relevant records before the Court. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta informed the Bench that the government would file its response on Monday after consultations with the concerned authorities.

During the hearing, Mehta said around 1.68 lakh students had used the complaint window opened by CBSE and their answer sheets were subsequently re-evaluated.

He also informed the Court that a one-member committee had been constituted to examine complaints regarding the evaluation process. Students were given a one-week window to submit their grievances.

The petitioner, however, argued that several students continued to face problems with their results. It was submitted that some students had already qualified for entrance examinations but were unable to proceed with admissions because they failed to secure the required marks in their CBSE results.

The petitioner therefore sought reopening of the complaint window so that students who could not raise their concerns earlier could get another opportunity to have their answer sheets reviewed.

The Bench also heard submissions on the impact of CBSE results on other competitive and entrance examinations. Mehta pointed out that CBSE marks are linked to admissions and other examinations, including JEE Main, and that such examinations cannot be kept on hold indefinitely.

The Supreme Court will consider the Centre’s response after it is placed before the Court on Monday.