In a significant ruling upholding student rights and statutory transparency, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to strictly charge photocopying fees for student answer sheets in accordance with the prescribed rates under the RTI Rules, 2012. Furthermore, the transparency watchdog has struck down arbitrary internal board restrictions, ordering the CBSE to amend its contentious May 19, 2025 circular that prohibited candidates from seeking re-evaluation after obtaining their answer scripts through the Right to Information Act.

Genesis of the Dispute Over Exorbitant Re-Evaluation Fees

The landmark ruling stems from an RTI application filed by a Class 10 CBSE board examination candidate who challenged the exorbitant financial burden imposed by the board’s traditional verification procedures. Pointing out the steep costs involved, the applicant noted that standard board re-evaluation channels required a prohibitive fee of Rs 2,500 for photocopying five subject answer sheets, an additional Rs 2,500 for marks re-verification, and a steep Rs 100 per question charge, pushing total expenditures to nearly Rs 10,000. Seeking a more accessible alternative, the student opted for the RTI route, triggering a legal battle over institutional transparency and fee structures.

CIC Objects to CBSE Circular and Warns CPIO

During the hearing, the CBSE Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) defended the board’s actions by citing the May 19, 2025 circular, which explicitly stated that while answer sheet copies could be accessed via RTI, subsequent requests for re-evaluation or marks verification could not be entertained under the transparency law. The CIC strongly condemned this restriction, ruling that barring a student from pursuing re-evaluation merely because they accessed their records through the RTI Act runs completely counter to the spirit and letter of the law. Directing the board to exercise utmost caution in future compliance, the Commission instructed the CBSE to revise its administrative circulars to align seamlessly with statutory RTI regulations.