Now, students can see answer-sheets

Posted On: 10/08/2011 Updated On:

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that students aggrieved with their examination scores — class X and XII, entrance exam for professional courses as well as job recruitment tests — can now take a look at how they were evaluated by moving an application under the Right to Information Act.

So far, only re-tabulation of marks was possible. Now, the court has provided for re-evaluation of answersheets, which will include whether examiner missed out awarding marks for answers to some of the questions.

Passing the path-breaking order that will be lapped up by students, but may cause consternation among the teaching fraternity, a bench of Justices R V Raveendran and A K Patnaik dismissed a bunch of appeals filed by the Central Board of Secondary Education, West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), University of Calcutta, West Bengal Central School Services Commission and Assam Public Services Commission.

The petitioners had challenged rulings by different information commissioners under the RTI Act directing them to show the answer-sheets to the students.The basic contention of all these education boards, Calcutta University and ICAI was that there was a fiduciary relationship between the examiner and the board, and hence it was not proper to show the answer-sheet to the student. CBSE had claimed exemption from the ambit of RTI Act.

The classic among the cases dealt by the apex court was that of a Kolkata student Pritam Rooj, who had scored 91.6% in the Class X examination and 80.8% at the higher secondary (Class XII) examination.

But his performance dipped unexpectedly in the mathematics honours course, which he studied in Presidency College under the Calcutta University. In 2005, he got a mere 52% in his Part-I examination and an identical percentage the following year in Part-II, with just 28 out of 100 in the fifth paper. High courts too favoured access to answer-sheet

Rooj applied for re-evaluation of the paper, and was awarded four additional marks by the university. But, that did not give him a first division and ruined his dream of studying in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

On August 14, 2007, Rooj filed an RTI query seeking a copy of his answer-sheet from the university. But, the principal information officer said no inspection of answer-sheet was permitted under the RTI Act.

He moved the Calcutta High Court and got a favourable order. Similar orders had come in from the high courts of Gauhati in Assam and other places. The apex court had joined them together and heard arguments.

More News

Andhra Pradesh Engineering Common Entrance Test (AP ECET) 2026

Andhra Pradesh Engineering Common Entrance Test (AP ECET) 2026 The Andhra Pradesh Engineering Common Entrance Test (AP ECET) 2026 is an important exam for students aiming for lateral entry into the second year of B.E., B.Tech, and B.Pharmacy in Andh...

Posted On: 06/05/2026

AP POLYCET Result 2026

AP POLYCET Result 2026 | Andhra Pradesh 2026 Result | Andhra Pradesh Polytechnic Common Entrance Test 2026 Result The State Board of Technical Education and Training (SBTET), Andhra Pradesh, conducts the Polytechnic Common Entrance Test (AP POLYCET...

Posted On: 04/05/2026

TG EAPCET 2026 Notification | Exam Date, Apply Online, Eligibility, Syllabus & Results

TG EAPCET 2026 Notification | Exam Date, Apply Online, Eligibility, Syllabus & Results The Telangana State Engineering, Agriculture, and Pharmacy Common Entrance Test (TG EAPCET) 2026 stands as one of the most significant entranc...

Posted On: 26/04/2026

AP ECET 2026 Notification Exam Date, Apply Online, Eligibility, Syllabus & Results

Posted On: 26/04/2026

Uttarakhand Board Results 2026 Class 10 & 12 | UK Board Result Date, UBSE Results

UTTARA KHAND CLASS 10th AND CLASS 12th RESULT 2026 The Uttarakhand Board of School Education (UBSE) is currently finalizing the evaluation process for the High School (Class 10) Examination 2026. Following the con...

Posted On: 26/04/2026

AP EAPCET 2026 Notification, Exam Date, Application Form & Eligibility Details

AP EAPCET 2026 Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture & Pharmacy Common Entrance Test AP EAPCET 2026 Schedule Announced; Registration Underway, Exams Begin May 12 The Andhra Pradesh Engineering, Agriculture and Pharmacy Common Entrance...

Posted On: 26/04/2026

Andhra Pradesh SSC Board Results 2026

Andhra Pradesh SSC Board Results 2026 The Board of Secondary Education, Andhra Pradesh (BSEAP) is in the final stages of evaluating answer scripts for the SSC (Class 10) examinations held in 2026. With the exams concluded in March, the resul...

Posted On: 26/04/2026

Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) 1st & 2nd Year Result

Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) 1st & 2nd Year Result The Jharkhand Academic Council (JAC) will release the JAC Intermediate 2026 results in late April 2026 for the Science, Commerce, and Arts streams, following the evaluation of answer...

Posted On: 26/04/2026

NMIMS Unveils Disability Inclusion Policy with Mirae Asset Foundation Support

NMIMS Unveils Disability Inclusion Policy with Mirae Asset Foundation Support Mumbai, April 2026: SVKM’s NMIMS, with support from the Mirae Asset Foundation, announced the release of its policy guidance note, “Enabling Equity for...

Posted On: 24/04/2026

NEWS JAC CLASS 12 RESULTS 2026

NEWS JAC CLASS 12 RESULTS 2026 The JAC Class 12 (Intermediate) Results 2026 for Science, Commerce, and Arts are currently in the final stages of processing. Following the completion of the theory examinations on February 23, 2026, the Jharkh...

Posted On: 24/04/2026

View all

Admission Open

ICFAI University (IFHE)

Hyderabad, Telangana

BBA, BCA, L.L.B, LLM, B.Arch, B.Sc, BA, MA, Ph.D, EMBA, BA LLB (Hons.), BBA LLB (Hons.), Ph.D in Law, Ph.D, PG Diploma, Ph.D (Economics), B.E / B.Tech

Apply Brochure