CHENNAI: Even as the school board exams are ongoing in the state, the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC) has directed the Directorate of Government Examinations (DGE) to provide copies of students’ evaluated answer scripts, if they applied for the same under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, and recommended that the government should digitise all answer scripts for electronic preservation.

In addition to digitisation, the commission recommended that evaluated answer sheets be preserved for six months, rather than the current three-month period.

Information Commissioner VPR Elamparithi issued the order based on the appeal filed by R Priyadarshini, presently a college student, who appeared for Class 12 exams in March 2023. She had filed an application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act seeking certified copies of her answer scripts for Tamil, English, Physics, Chemistry, Zoology and Mathematics.

However, in June 2023, the Public Information Officer (PIO) informed her that students were allowed to apply for answer scripts to DGE (not under the RTI Act) within five days of publication of results.

Citing that Priyadarshini had applied only for the Physics answer script, the department refused to provide answer scripts of other subjects. Her first appeal to the appellate authority was also dismissed, following which she filed a second appeal before the commission in July 2023.

After examining the submissions, the commission observed that the responses given by the PIO and the appellate authority indicated an attempt to deny information sought by the applicant.

Subsequently, the commission directed the PIO to provide certified copies of the answer scripts within seven days. It also ordered that the documents be furnished free of cost.

This story has been written by Rudhran Baraasu of The New Indian Express.