The Central Information Commission (CIC) has recommended that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) introduce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to set clear timelines for providing marks or answer sheets when students request them.The recommendation came while deciding an appeal filed by a Class 12 student who sought his assessment records used to prepare the 2021 board exam results after the exams were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The student stated that the mistakes in the evaluation process caused his “mental agony and depression”, for which he had to undergo therapy.Information Commissioner Sudha Rani Relangi said, “It is the urgent need of today’s scenario that CBSE should introduce a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that governs the deadlines for submitting/providing marks or answer sheet to the students’ question.”The CIC added: “This will be an effective step to avoid any unjustified situation of this nature of difficulties as faced by the Appellant in this matter, it is likely to affect young minds.”The commission has “strongly recommended” under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act that CBSE prepare the SOP and ensure that “such information related to the policy is disclosed on its official website”.A copy of the order has been sent to the CBSE secretary for necessary action. The First Appellate Authority was also directed to submit a compliance report within four weeks.On the complaint of the student, the commission said, “the denial of the evaluation marks of the Appellant in whatever form it may be by the CPIO (Central Public Information Officer) goes against the spirit of the RTI Act, 2005.”The CIC noted that although the student’s challenge to her evaluation is pending before the High Court, the CPIO “should have addressed the Appellant’s concern” by providing information related to her own evaluation after removing details of other candidates that are exempt from disclosure under the RTI Act.The commission directed the CPIO of CBSE to provide the student, free of cost, a revised answer with the permissible information, including his assessment marks in the tabular format requested in his RTI application.The student had sought the mark sheet for five subjects under CBSE’s special assessment policy introduced after the cancellation of the Class 12 board exams 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the hearing, she argued that she had a right to know how her assessment was prepared and that the RTI Act did not prevent disclosure of her own records.
