Times of India: Ahmedabad: Thursday, 14 March 2024.
The Gujarat high court on Wednesday stayed an order passed by the State Information Commission asking the Gujarat State Examination Board (GSEB) to provide copies of answer sheets to a candidate who took recruitment exams conducted by the board.
The candidate, Rahul Dedkiya, had taken written tests for two subjects last year. Not satisfied with the evaluation of his answer sheets, Dedkiya sought their copies under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act.
His request was turned down by the board and its appellate authority. When he filed an appeal with the information commission, the latter passed an order and directed GSEB to supply a copy of answer sheets to the candidate.
GSEB challenged the information commission’s order before the high court. Its advocate Meet Shah submitted that the information commission has cited a Supreme Court’s order involving the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which was directed to either allow students to check their answer sheets or to provide them copies.
He argued that GSEB allowed the candidate to check the answer sheets to his satisfaction in the presence of experts.
The lawyer further argued that GSEB, which functions with limited staff, had conducted 18 examinations for 31 lakh candidates in 2023.
There were more than one lakh students who took exams requiring descriptive answers. If the board is compelled to supply copies of answer sheets to the candidates, it will not be able to perform its routine work. After preliminary hearing, Justice V D Nanavati issued notices to the candidate and the information commission and posted further hearing on April 15. Till then, the commission’s order has been stayed.
The Gujarat high court on Wednesday stayed an order passed by the State Information Commission asking the Gujarat State Examination Board (GSEB) to provide copies of answer sheets to a candidate who took recruitment exams conducted by the board.
The candidate, Rahul Dedkiya, had taken written tests for two subjects last year. Not satisfied with the evaluation of his answer sheets, Dedkiya sought their copies under the provisions of Right to Information (RTI) Act.
His request was turned down by the board and its appellate authority. When he filed an appeal with the information commission, the latter passed an order and directed GSEB to supply a copy of answer sheets to the candidate.
GSEB challenged the information commission’s order before the high court. Its advocate Meet Shah submitted that the information commission has cited a Supreme Court’s order involving the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which was directed to either allow students to check their answer sheets or to provide them copies.
He argued that GSEB allowed the candidate to check the answer sheets to his satisfaction in the presence of experts.
The lawyer further argued that GSEB, which functions with limited staff, had conducted 18 examinations for 31 lakh candidates in 2023.
There were more than one lakh students who took exams requiring descriptive answers. If the board is compelled to supply copies of answer sheets to the candidates, it will not be able to perform its routine work. After preliminary hearing, Justice V D Nanavati issued notices to the candidate and the information commission and posted further hearing on April 15. Till then, the commission’s order has been stayed.
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