Puttur: Answer Sheet Copies at One Rupee per Page!
Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)
Puttur, Feb 9: The pre university (PU) students, in the past, had to pay heavily to get photocopies of their answer sheets. Thousands of students routinely pay the charges and seek photocopies of their answer sheets, so as to find out whether the valuators have erred in allotting marks to them, and if so, to apply for revaluation. Now it has transpired that they can get the answer sheets under Rights to Information (RTI) Act, at just one rupee per page, within a month from the date of application!
Karnataka State Information Commission has asserted the above right of the students. A person named C A Shastri from the town had applied to the information officer of the state PU Education Board during July last year, seeking photocopy of the economics answer sheets of his son studying in second PU class, duly paying the requisite fee. The PU Board rejected his application, saying that he can get the copy by paying Rs 420 as per rules. He then filed a complaint in the state information commission, citing that in a similar case relating to examination conducted by Public Service Commission, the state commission had ordered that copies of answer sheets can be obtained under RTI Act.
The commission, which accepted the complaint for inquiry, issued summons for the personal appearance of the PU education department’s joint director on January 12. The board continued to stick to its earlier stand that copies of answer sheets cannot be provided under RTI Act.
The commission, which took up hearing in the case on January 27, severely reprimanded the department for it unacceptable stand, and ordered provision of photocopy of answer sheets as sought by the petitioner within three days. It also posted hearing into the issue of awarding punishment to the joint director of PU education department and disciplinary action to a future date.
The department, in compliance with the order, provided photocopies of the answer sheets to the petitioner within a week from the date of order.