The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) results of class XII and class X board exams are eagerly awaited by lakhs of students and their parents. However, a fake letter circulated on several WhatsApp groups on Wednesday, stating that the results would be declared on Thursday, led to confusion and anxiety among students and teachers alike.

According to media reports, the letter, which had a forged signature of CBSE director (academics) Joseph Emmanuel, also provided a website where students could check their results. The CBSE authorities were quick to declare the letter as fake, emphasizing that the results of both classes are in the final stage of preparation and expected to be out this week.

The fake letter went viral within minutes of being posted on WhatsApp, leaving CBSE officials surprised and prompting several schools affiliated to the board to inquire about its authenticity.

It is not the first time that such a letter has been circulated; a similar one was spread in 2020, with a forged signature of CBSE secretary Anurag Tripathi. To prevent any confusion this year, CBSE has issued a circular to all principals and heads of schools affiliated with CBSE regarding the process through which students can access their mark sheets, certificates, and other related documents for board results 2023.

The circular mentions that last year, CBSE introduced a 6-digit security pin-based activation for students' digilocker accounts to strengthen the security and privacy of students' data.

As the board exam results are set to be declared soon, the circular states that the student-wise security pin file is being made available to schools in their digilockers account from where schools can download and disseminate security pins to individual students. This process is expected to streamline the distribution of students' certificates and mark sheets while maintaining their security and privacy.

Meanwhile, the CBSE officials have reiterated that they do not declare the date of announcing the results in advance, but have confirmed that the process of preparing the results of both classes is in the final stages.

Lalit K Kapil, regional officer (RO), CBSE, Prayagraj, has stated that the board will be declaring the results very soon. With students and parents anxiously waiting for the results, the circular from CBSE has provided some clarity on the process of accessing the mark sheets and certificates, while also emphasizing the need for caution and skepticism when it comes to fake news and rumors.