IN A FIRST, MU TO GIVE COPIES OF ANSWER SHEETS UNDER RTI

Mumbai Mirror: Mumbai: Thursday, November 30, 2017.

Act stipulates fulfilling request within 30 days as opposed to varsity's application procedure that does not have any set time frame.

In a move that might set a precedent for other students, the Mumbai University has agreed to provide photocopies of answer sheets to a student, who filed an application under the Right to Information Act, after initially rejecting his application.

Aakash Vedak, who completed his Bachelor of Arts in Political science and History this year through the varsity's Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) programme, in September, had asked for photocopies of his answer sheets as he was not satisfied with the results and wanted to verify his marks. He chose to apply through RTI because he wanted the answer sheets within 30 days as stipulated by the Act.

However, the university had denied his request and directed him to follow the procedure laid down for obtaining photocopies of answer sheet for which there is no specific time frame.

As per the university procedure, a student has to pay Rs 50 per copy (the rate was reduced this year from Rs 100).

Vedak further challenged the varsity's denial saying that by denying the answer sheets under RTI, it was flouting a 2011 Supreme Court order which states that access to answer sheets was a student's "fundamental and legitimate right" under RTI. The appeal went in his favour and the university conceded to give him photocopies of his answer sheets.

"As per the Supreme Court order, photocopies of answer sheets should be made available to the applicant at an appropriate charge under RTI," the public information officer ruled on November 22, 2017. Under RTI, the applicants are charged Rs 2 per page, plus a stamp fee.

"This is a major victory for all students as earlier photocopies were never issued within any stipulated time. Now, a student can demand answer sheets within 30 days by paying Rs 10 stamp fee and Rs 2 per page through RTI," Vedak said.

"There is a Supreme Court order so we will have to provide photocopies of answer sheets. The order is applicable to all the universities," Arjun Ghatule, holding the additional charge as director, board of examinations, told Mirror.

The move is also being hailed by the student community reeling under the varsity's online assessment fiasco that lead to almost 1,600 answer sheets going missing. "The university gave the number of missing answer sheets but did not say whose answer sheets were missing. Now students can find out," said Abhishek Bhat, advocate and former university student.

Sachin Pawar, president, Students' Law Council, said the university cannot reject RTI applications for answer sheets. "This is a landmark decision which will aid aggrieved students."