SC orders authorities not to destroy phones seized at exam centers

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing authorities not to destroy mobile phones or any data stored on these devices, confiscated from examinees during the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) and Grade 12 examinations in Siraha.

A single bench of Justice Shrikant Paudel issued the order in the name of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by advocates Bikash Yadav and Anil Kumar Sah. The plaintiffs had moved the apex court after police seized mobile phones, smartwatches and other electronic devices from students during examinations.

“Considering convenience and the balance of interests, an interim order has been issued as per Rule 49 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2017, directing authorities that the mobile phones found inside examination halls and the data contained therein, as referred to in the notice issued by the District Administration Office, Siraha, on April 26, shall not be confiscated and destroyed until the final settlement of the petition, the order sates.

However, police have already destroyed mobile phones confiscated from students at various examination centres in Siraha during the examinations.

Video clips and photographs showing police personnel submerging mobile phones and smartwatches, believed to be worth millions of rupees, in drums filled with water have gone viral on social media.