A technical glitch on the Aaple Sarkar portal has resulted in approximately 3,600 students across Maharashtra being denied the additional 10 sports marks they were entitled to for their achievements. This issue came to light as the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) results were announced on Friday.
New Digital System Causes Confusion
Previously, students submitted documents to their schools, which then forwarded lists to divisional boards. This year, the education department digitised the process, allowing applications for additional, grace, or sports marks to be submitted directly to district sports authorities via the Aaple Sarkar portal. The authorities were then supposed to scrutinise and forward approved applications to the board within 15 days.
However, many parents discovered that their children's application status remained stuck on "under scrutiny" even after results were declared, despite submitting documents well before the deadline for the 2025-26 academic year.
Parents Express Frustration
Parents reported that they were not informed of any issues with their submissions. One parent, whose son is a state-level swimmer, stated: "We applied on March 10. The status continued to be ‘under scrutiny.' We visited the district sports office and were told many forms needed resubmission due to a technical glitch, but we were never notified. Our son has lost the extra 10-15 marks, which could have increased his percentage by 3% and affected his chances of admission to a coveted junior college."
Another parent, Shruti Paranjpe, whose daughter is a badminton player, said: "We uploaded documents in March. When results were announced, we realised the sports marks were not added. Other parents had ‘approved' status. We received no intimation from the sports department or school. If the portal had said ‘document pending,' we would have acted."
Official Response and Blame Game
Uday Joshi, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services, Maharashtra, acknowledged the issue, stating that nearly 3,600 applications required resubmission. He cited that 2,300 applications had duplicate cellphone numbers, with one number used for 33 applications and another for 29. "It is possible that a school teacher applied on behalf of students using the same contact details. We sent messages, emails, and contacted the state board and schools for resubmission," Joshi said.
However, state board Chairperson Trigun Kulkarni countered, saying the sports department should have directly informed parents. "The letter to the education department came after the deadline. Nevertheless, we have instructed the sports department to ensure all timely applications are scrutinised and marks sent to the board. Students should not suffer," Kulkarni added.
Portal Status Issue
When asked why the portal displayed "under scrutiny" instead of "documents pending," Joshi said the portal team had been notified and that changing the status was not under the sports department's purview. Parents and students now hope the state board will allow time for rectification and resubmission.
