Kalyan: Candidates appearing for the Bombay high court clerk typing skill test alleged widespread technical glitches at examination centres in Kalyan, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, Washim, Bhandara, and other parts of the state on Sunday, with server failures, keyboard malfunctions and candidates being logged out during the test triggering protests in Kalyan and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke joined the protesting candidates in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and extended his support, demanding a fresh examination.Over 600 candidates from the Kalyan’s APMC Market examination centre staged a protest. They called it off late at night after Kalyan authorities acknowledged in writing that the test could not be conducted due to technical problems, and that the students had reported on time but were unable to appear for it.Late in the evening, the HC registrar issued a statement, saying the clerk recruitment typing test had been conducted smoothly across Maharashtra, but acknowledged that technical issues had been reported at certain examination centres, particularly in Kalyan and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The registrar further said that the technical issues, if any, relating to the process conducted by the agency were being examined. The candidates would be informed through an official communication about the further appropriate course of action, the statement said.There was no immediate clarity on whether the test would be conducted afresh.Around 11,000 candidates were scheduled to take the test at 19 centres across Maharashtra.Candidates from different examination centres across the state took to social media and alleged that the software developed glitches, some keys on keyboards and keypads did not respond, screens failed to display properly and candidates were not logged in simultaneously. Some also claimed that they were automatically logged out within minutes of starting the test. Candidates further alleged that the system also failed to properly compare the total words typed with the words omitted, adding to their concerns about the fairness of the assessment.Joining the protesting candidates in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke said: “The keyboard and server were not working and candidates were being logged out within 10 minutes. If an entire shift is affected, how can the examination be considered fair? The examination must be conducted afresh. This is no longer just a Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar issue; it has become an issue concerning candidates across Maharashtra.”Dipke also interacted with candidates at the Kalyan APMC committee centre through a video call after they contacted him following similar disruptions. “Do not back down until the students’ issue is resolved,” he told the candidates in Kalyan.Dipke further said the authorities should issue a notification on the re-test and demanded hard copies of examination-related records for the candidates.“Taking cognisance of the protest, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar’s principal district judge met the protesting candidates and said the issue would be placed before the high court’s committee, which would take a call on it,” a high court official said.At the Kalyan APMC centre, the test was scheduled in three shifts — 10.15am-11.15am, 12.15pm-1.15pm and 2.15pm-3.15pm. Candidates appearing for the first shift alleged that several computers and keyboards were not functioning properly. They claimed that technical problems prevented them from taking or completing the one-hour test. According to the students, instead of being allowed to leave after the scheduled examination time, several candidates remained at the centre until around 3.30pm.The first-shift candidates subsequently informed those scheduled in the second and third shifts about the problems. Following this, candidates from the later shifts decided not to appear for the examination, alleging that they could not risk being marked absent or failing because of technical faults at the centre. The affected candidates staged a sit-in on the road outside the examination centre, stopped the vehicle of a district court judge and placed their demands before him. The candidates sought an assurance that those affected by the technical problems would be given another opportunity to appear for the examination under proper arrangements. They called off the protest late at night.(With inputs from Mohammed Akhef in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar)
