CALCUTTA, May 30: Two months after the probe was actually ordered into the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE) examination paper leak, a State Government notification announced the appointment of one-man inquiry panel here yesterday. The panel will submit its report within three months.

Interestingly, the term of reference of the commission manned by Justice Kalyanmoy Ganguly, a retired Calcutta High Court judge, doesn't make a direct mention of paper leak.

Three areas of investigations mentioned in the notification left the central theme -- ``the leak'' unspecified, saying that the commission would suggest ``measures to be adopted for plugging the loop-holes....,'' which could be anything, including leak.

The panel is to also ``ascertain the deficiencies and weaknesses, if any, in the present system ... conducting Madhyamik Examination by WBBSE. And examine the present system of assessment and post-publication review, and explore ways of the plugging loop-holes, if any, and of expediting the same''.

However, speaking to The Indian Express, State Minister for School Education Kanti Biswas vehemently denied any attempt to fudge the issue of leak, saying that the issue of the leak was important but it could not be the central focus of the panel. ``We would rather review the examination system against which people are complaining,'' he said.

The panel, set up by the State Government after a long delay, is to address the issue of mathematics and geography question papers leak which threatened to open Pandora's Box for both the WBBSE and people `with high-connections', accused of protecting the board's top brass.

And the Left Front Government, which was forced to order the judicial inquiry after Kanti Biswas's procrastination and failure to tackle the issue in the Assembly, was in a tight situation explaining its stand to the people.

The issue generated so much heat that even within the party, Kanti Biswas's position became untenable with the senior party leaders telling him to tender his resignation which may not have been accepted but it may have helped the Govt to save its face.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.