The Allahabad High Court has ruled that marks obtained by candidates in public examinations are not confidential information and can be disclosed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005. The decision emphasises transparency in examination processes conducted by public authorities. A division bench comprising Justice Ajit Kumar and Justice Swarupama Chaturvedi delivered the ruling while hearing a case related to disclosure of examination information under the RTI law. The court observed that marks obtained by candidates in public exams do not qualify as private information that requires consent from the candidate concerned.
Allahabad High Court Ruling on RTI and Exam Marks
The court clarified that when a candidate who appeared in the same examination seeks information about the marks of other candidates, such information can be disclosed under the RTI Act. According to the judgment:
- Marks obtained in public examinations are not confidential information.
- Third-party consent is not required to disclose marks when requested under RTI.
- The information may be shared if no investigation or enquiry related to the exam is pending.
The ruling highlighted that exam marks relate to a public activity conducted by government bodies, which makes them eligible for disclosure in the interest of transparency.
Answer Sheets of Other Candidates Cannot Be Freely Shared
While allowing disclosure of marks, the High Court also made an important distinction regarding answer sheets. The court stated that candidates do not have a right to obtain photocopies of other candidates’ answer sheets under RTI. Authorities may permit inspection in certain cases, but providing copies is not mandatory. This restriction was explained on the grounds that answer sheets may contain sensitive details such as examiners’ signatures and evaluation markings, which could raise privacy and administrative concerns.
Background of the Case
The case originated from a Railways recruitment examination for the post of Legal Assistant. One candidate filed an RTI application seeking his own marks as well as those of two other candidates and requested photocopies of their answer sheets. Initially, the authorities declined to provide the information. The matter went through appeals before the Central Information Commission (CIC) and later reached the High Court. The High Court eventually ruled that while marks must be disclosed, the RTI applicant cannot insist on receiving photocopies of answer sheets belonging to other candidates.
Significance of the Judgment
The judgment is considered important for transparency in recruitment and public examinations. By allowing access to marks through RTI, the ruling strengthens the principle that information related to public examinations should be accessible when it serves public interest. At the same time, the court balanced transparency with privacy by limiting access to answer sheet copies of other candidates, ensuring that sensitive evaluation records remain protected. The decision may influence how public authorities handle RTI requests related to competitive examinations, recruitment tests, and academic evaluations conducted by government institutions.