The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to provide copies of students’ answer scripts under the Right to Information Act while charging only the photocopying fee prescribed by the RTI Rules, 2012. The decision came after a Class 10 student approached the authorities seeking copies of his answer sheets. The student had raised concerns about the cost of CBSE’s existing process for obtaining copies and seeking verification or revaluation of marks. According to the case details, the student had sought answer sheets after raising questions about the difficulty of the Class 10 Mathematics Standard Set 3 examination, moderation and deductions in his evaluation.

The application pointed out that the regular process could involve ₹2,500 for answer sheet copies covering five subjects, another ₹2,500 for re-verification, and additional charges for re-evaluation. The student therefore turned to the RTI Act to obtain the answer books. CBSE subsequently supplied the requested answer sheets after receiving the prescribed photocopying fee. However, another issue emerged over whether a student who uses RTI to access an answer sheet can later seek verification or revaluation through CBSE's examination process. CBSE's May 19, 2025 circular stated that students could obtain copies of their answer books through RTI but could not subsequently seek verification or revaluation after taking that route. The CIC found this restriction inconsistent with the spirit of the transparency law. It observed that accessing information through RTI should not, by itself, prevent a candidate from using remedies otherwise available under the examination rules.

The commission also referred to Section 22 of the RTI Act, which gives the law overriding effect where provisions in other rules or regulations are inconsistent with it. It further cited a 2019 Supreme Court judgment concerning the relationship between institutional procedures and rights available under RTI. The CIC has recommended that CBSE amend its May 2025 circular to remove the restriction and bring its provisions in conformity with the RTI framework. The commission also directed that answer scripts requested under RTI should be supplied by charging fees strictly according to the applicable RTI Rules rather than imposing additional conditions through other CBSE regulations. The decision could make the process of accessing evaluated answer sheets more transparent for CBSE students, particularly those who want to independently examine their answers before deciding whether to pursue verification or revaluation.