Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, August 17: The Bombay High Court clerk recruitment typing exam held on August 16 has sparked controversy due to technical issues faced by candidates. Many reported that several computers, mice, and keyboards malfunctioned during the exam, which took place at various centers in Mumbai.
Over 600 candidates protested in Kalyan, claiming that they were logged out of the system just minutes after the exam began, which lasted only 10 minutes and required typing a passage of 400 words. Complaints of technical difficulties were also received from other centers, including Nanded, Washim, and Bhandara.
The registrar of the Bombay High Court stated that the exam was conducted normally across Maharashtra, but acknowledged the technical complaints from specific centers, particularly Kalyan and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. An investigation into the issues related to the agency’s process is underway.
Candidates expressed their frustration, asserting that the failures were not theirs but rather systemic errors. They claimed that when they reported the problems, authorities suggested that the students lacked understanding of how to take the exam.
Abhijit Deepke, who joined the protest in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, criticized the system and government for their inability to conduct online exams properly. He emphasized that if the authorities had more knowledge than the students, they should have ensured that the computers and keyboards were functional before the exam.
Deepke called for a written assurance from a district court judge present at the exam center that a retake would be conducted, using properly functioning equipment. He stressed that such situations should not recur as students’ futures are at stake.
He further questioned the rationale behind conducting online exams without the necessary infrastructure, pointing out that incidents of server crashes and hardware failures are common across the country during such assessments.
The exam was conducted in three sessions for 1,300 clerk positions under the Nagpur and Aurangabad benches of the High Court. Technical glitches were reported during the session from 10 AM to 11:15 AM.