CIC to varsities: Provide answer sheets at Rs 2 per page

Universities and examining bodies cannot charge more than '2 per page for providing copies of evaluated ans-wer scripts to students, the Central Information Commission has ruled as it struck down the Rs750 per answer sheet fee imposed by the Delhi University.

In a stern order, information commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said the Delhi University, by imposing a high fee of Rs 750 for providing acc-ess to answer sheets under the RTI Act, has created two classes of students — those who can afford to have a copy by paying '750 and those who cannot, which is a clear breach of right to equality guaranteed by Article 14 of the Constitution.

Citing the RTI rules of the Delhi University, information commissioner said it has not applied these for copies of answer sheets sought under the transparency law and that it cannot discriminate by asking higher cost for copies of answer sheets from a student and Rs 2 per page for other documents.

“Even if we accept co-ntention that the respondent authority (DU) was autonomous and competent enough to make its own rules and regulations, that authority has no power to re-strict the access to information which was guaranteed by the RTI Act,” he said.

He was hearing the complaint of DU student Abne Ingty who approached the transparency panel challenging the cost of '750 per question paper imposed for accessing answer sheets under the RTI Act. Ingty was asked to deposit '3,750 for getting copies of answer sheets for five papers.

Mr Acharyulu said he found merit in Ingty’s contention that prescribing unreasonable cost and time constraint will amount to complete denial of information to the students on grounds of their economic status. He said a university or any other authority cannot use its authority to make subordinate legislation to infringe the legal and constitutional rights of the students or citizens.

The CIC held that DU or any other university or public authority cannot ignore or bypass the mandate of Parliament given in RTI Act. Acc-ording to the information commissioner, charging of Rs 750 amounts to breach of Sections 3, 6 and 7 of the RTI Act.