The Wamrong Dungkhag Court in Trashigang has sentenced Tshering Dorji, a student of Tashitse Higher Secondary School, to almost three years in prison for burglary in connection with the missing answer scripts case. The judgment was passed today. The convict is 21 years old. He has to pay more than Nu 500,000 as restitution and compensation.
The case came into the limelight after the Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment discovered that the answer scripts of 40 students of Tashitse Higher Secondary School were missing on January 13 this year during the exam paper evaluation.
Following the incident, the police started investigating the case and detained the convict in February. According to the judgement, the police found pictures of the physics answer script in his mobile phone and ashes of the answer script at the site where he burnt the papers.
The convict also confessed to the police and the court.
However, Tshering Dorji can pay in lieu of imprisonment. The court also ordered Tshering Dorji to restitute Nu 220,418 to the government for expenses incurred during the re-examination.
The judgment further stated that the convict has to pay Nu 40,000 to the Wamrong Dungkhag who arranged lodging and transportation for the students and teachers during the re-examination.
Additionally, the convict has to pay Nu 111,553 to students as restitution for the expenditure incurred during the re-examination and compensation of Nu 3,750 to each student for the trauma and stress experienced due to the re-examination. He has to pay the amount within three months from the date of the judgement.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Tshering Zam
