Chennai: Tamil Nadu Information Commission has ruled that digitized answer sheets of public examinations are accessible under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and cannot be withheld on the grounds of a five-day window set by the directorate of govt examinations for applying for copies after results are declared. Noting inconsistencies in the responses provided by the PIO and the appellate authority, the Commission asked the public information officer to explain why a penalty of 25,000 should not be imposed and recommended departmental action against the appellate authority. The order came while disposing of an appeal filed by R Priyadarshini, whose request for copies of her Class XII answer sheets was denied. In 2023, Priyadarshini sought copies of her Tamil, English, Physics, Chemistry, and Zoology answer sheets under the RTI Act. Her application was rejected on the ground that the directorate’s five-day period for such requests had expired. When her first appeal seeking the answer sheets free of cost was turned down for want of a below poverty line certificate, she filed a second appeal with the Commission. Citing multiple Supreme Court and Madras high court rulings, state information commissioner V P R Ilamparithi held that answer sheets are furnishable information under the RTI Act and must be provided upon payment of the applicable fee. Ilamparithi, after recording the submissions made by the PIO, said the directorate acted with a motive to deny information and directed the PIO to furnish certified copies of all answer sheets within a week.The commission has recommended the directorate of govt examinations keep digitised copies of the answer sheets for six months instead of three months, since it involves the career of the next generation. It directed the authorities to promptly display on their official website that students can avail the answer sheets under the RTI Act during the period the sheets are maintained by them.
