Times
of India: Mangalore: Saturday, 13 September 2014.
Though answer
scripts come under the purview of RTI, the Karnataka State Open University has
denied a student to provide of answer scripts under 2005 Act.
The aggrieved
student now approached the State Governor for redressal since he is the RTI
Apellate authority.
The student
is Devappa M, a resident of Narimogru, Puttur taluk. He is a primary school
teacher who was pursuing his BA course. The RTI was pertaining to his Kannada
answer scripts of third year.
When he
applied under RTI for the answer script, the KSOU examination registrar
declined to provide the answer script stating that the photostat of the answer
scripts can be obtained by a student within 14 days after the results have been
announced online with payment of Rs 1,000 through bank challan. RTI application
cannot be considered.''
But RTI
activist CS Shastry from Puttur says according to National Information
Commission in the case (002046/2011) of Dr Arun Thamburaj Vs UPSC, which came
before it, the commission has given clear directive that answer scripts too
come under RTI purview. Similarly, the Supreme Court in case of Aditya
Bandophadhyay vs CBSE (case no: 7526/2011), also ruled likewise.
Now Devappa
has written to the chancellor, who is also the state governor as well as the
RTI Apellate Authority for the university, to give justice to him and direct
KSOU to follow laws of the land.
Shastry says
that students studying in rural areas opt for KSOU to pursue their higher
education and the latter instead of helping the poor students, harasses them by
imposing exorbitant fee for various services like revaluation, photostat of
answer scripts, etc. He hoped that the chancellor would set right things at
KSOU and do justice to aggrieved students.
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