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+{{htmlmetatags>metatag-title=(Answer Sheet Copy Under RTI: Rs 2 a Page After the 2011 Supreme Court Ruling)&metatag-description=(CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay 2011 lets you get your evaluated answer sheet under RTI at Rs 2 a page. Compare board fees, deadlines and the appeal route.)&metatag-keywords=(Education and Universities)&metatag-robots=(index,follow)&metatag-og:title=(Answer Sheet Copy Under RTI: Rs 2 a Page After the 2011 Supreme Court Ruling)&metatag-og:description=(CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay 2011 lets you get your evaluated answer sheet under RTI at Rs 2 a page. Compare board fees, deadlines and the appeal route.)&metatag-og:type=(article)}}
+====== Get Your Answer Sheet Copy Under RTI: Settled Law, Exact Steps ======
+**Reviewed on:** 2026-06-12.
+**Yes, you can get a copy of your own evaluated answer sheet from a government board or a public university. The Supreme Court settled this in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497: an evaluated answer book is "information" under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, 2005. File an RTI with the board's Public Information Officer. The fee is Rs 10, the copy about Rs 2 per page, and the PIO has 30 days to reply.**
+^ Question ^ Short answer ^
+| Can the board refuse my own answer sheet? | Not lawfully. The Supreme Court rejected CBSE's objections in 2011. |
+| What does it cost? | Rs 10 application fee plus about Rs 2 per page for copies. |
+| How long does the PIO have? | 30 days from receipt of your application. |
+| Can RTI change my marks? | No. Only the board's own verification or revaluation process can change marks. |
+| Does this cover private institutes? | No. A purely private, unaided body is outside the RTI Act. |
+===== What the Supreme Court actually held =====
+CBSE argued that answer books were held in a fiduciary capacity and were exempt under Section 8(1)(e). The Court disagreed. An examinee has the right to inspect and obtain a copy of their own evaluated answer book from a public examining body. The only real limit is the examiner's identity. The board can mask the examiner's name, code and initials. It cannot hide your answers, the marks given, or the totalling. The ruling binds every public examining body: CBSE, state school boards, central and state universities, and statutory professional bodies.
+===== Compare the two routes before you pay =====
+Most boards run their own photocopy scheme alongside RTI. CBSE is the clearest example. Compare the costs before choosing.
+^ Point ^ CBSE's own scheme ^ RTI route ^
+| Fee | About Rs 500 per subject for verification, about Rs 700 per answer book for the photocopy, about Rs 100 per question for re-evaluation | Rs 10 application fee plus about Rs 2 per page |
+| Window | A few days after each result, and the steps run in a fixed sequence | Any time while the answer book still exists |
+| What you get | A scanned copy on the board portal | A certified copy from the PIO |
+| Can marks change? | Yes, through verification and re-evaluation | No. RTI gives you the copy only |
+Two cautions. The scheme fees above are CBSE's published rates and they change, so confirm the current circular on cbse.gov.in; state boards and universities set their own rates. And there is a deadline trap: boards weed out answer books a few months after the result. Whichever route you choose, start early.
+===== File the RTI in five steps =====
+  - Confirm the body is a public authority. Government boards and public universities qualify. A private coaching institute does not.
+  - Collect your roll number, registration number, subject name, paper code and exam session.
+  - File online or by post. For CBSE and central universities, use rtionline.gov.in. For state boards, use your state portal. Our guide on [[file-rti-online-india|how to file RTI online]] covers both.
+  - Ask for three things: a certified copy of your evaluated answer sheet, the status of your revaluation application, and the rules governing revaluation.
+  - Pay the Rs 10 fee and keep the receipt. Be ready to pay the per-page copying charge when the PIO intimates it.
+Use this text, with your details filled in:
+<code>
+To: The Public Information Officer, [Board / University name and address]
+Subject: Request under the RTI Act, 2005 for my evaluated answer sheet
+. Please provide a certified copy of my evaluated answer book for
+   [subject and paper code], [examination and session], Roll Number
+   [number], Registration Number [number].
+. Please provide the status and result of my revaluation or rechecking
+   application [number, date], including revised marks, if any.
+. Please provide a copy of the rules or notification governing
+   verification, revaluation and supply of answer-book copies.
+I enclose the application fee of Rs 10 by [mode]. I will pay the
+prescribed copying charges on intimation.
+[Name, address, mobile, email, date]
+</code>
+===== Worked example: Rs 62 against Rs 1,600 =====
+Nikhil scored 52 in Class 12 Physics in 2026 and expected about 65. He applied for verification (Rs 500) but missed the four-day photocopy window that followed. The scheme route is now closed for him. He files an RTI instead: Rs 10 fee plus a 26-page answer book at Rs 2 a page, a total of Rs 62. The copy shows six marks on page 9 were never added to the total. He sends the copy with a written grievance to the Controller of Examinations, and the board corrects the total under its error-correction power. The full scheme route would have cost him Rs 1,600. The RTI copy cost Rs 62 and turned a blind complaint into one with proof attached.
+One caveat. Where a board, like CBSE, makes its own photocopy step a precondition for re-evaluation, an RTI copy does not substitute that step. Use the scheme inside the window when you want marks changed. Use RTI when the window has closed, the body has gone silent, or you need a certified copy for an appeal or a court.
+===== Revaluation rules are board specific =====
+There is no single national revaluation rule. CBSE runs three sequential steps with separate fees and short windows announced with each result. Several state boards offer only scrutiny or retotalling, not fresh evaluation. Universities follow their own ordinances, usually with a 15 to 30 day window. Read your own board's result notification before you pay anything. If the rules are not published anywhere, ask for them in the RTI itself.
+===== If the PIO refuses or goes silent =====
+Boards raise three stock objections. "The answer book is fiduciary information" fails because Bandopadhyay rejected exactly that. "Apply under our bye-laws instead" fails because the RTI Act overrides inconsistent internal rules. "Pay Rs 700 as our scheme fee" sits poorly with the RTI Rules, which fix copying at about Rs 2 a page, and Information Commissions have repeatedly applied the RTI rate. If you face a refusal, silence past 30 days, or an inflated fee demand, file a first appeal with the First Appellate Authority of the same body within 30 days. The process is in our guide to [[act:section-19|first and second appeals]]. A second appeal lies with the Information Commission.
+===== Common mistakes =====
+  * Filing without identifiers. Always quote roll number, registration number, subject, paper code and session.
+  * Waiting out the retention period. File the week you decide to act.
+  * Sending RTI to a private institute. If the exam was conducted by an affiliating public university, address the RTI to that university instead.
+  * Expecting RTI to re-grade the paper. The copy is evidence; marks change only through the board's own process or a court.
+  * Missing the first-appeal window after a refusal or deemed refusal.
+===== Related guides =====
+  * [[practical-guides:background-verification-stuck-university-employer-not-replying|Background verification stuck because a university is not replying]]
+  * [[practical-guides:admission-agent-forged-fee-receipt-offer-letter-visa-document|Admission agent forged a fee receipt or offer letter]]
+  * [[practical-guides:background-verification-adverse-report-wrong-challenge|Challenging a wrong adverse background verification report]]
+===== Frequently asked questions =====
+==== Does the 2011 ruling cover university exams or only school boards? ====
+Both. It covers every public examining body, including central and state universities, government boards, and statutory bodies that conduct exams. Private unaided institutions are the exception.
+==== The board says I must use its photocopy scheme, not RTI. Is that correct? ====
+No. The RTI route exists independently of the board's scheme. The scheme can be the better choice while its window is open, especially where re-evaluation depends on it, but it cannot replace your RTI right.
+==== Can the board charge me Rs 700 for the copy under RTI? ====
+The RTI Rules fix copying at about Rs 2 per page for central bodies, and state rules are similar. If a PIO demands the higher scheme fee for an RTI request, contest it in a first appeal.
+==== How long does the board keep my answer sheet? ====
+Usually only a few months after the result. Once the book is weeded out, no route can recover it, so act early.
+==== Can I find out who evaluated my paper? ====
+No. The examiner's identity is protected, and the board may mask names and codes on the copy. Everything else should be visible.
+==== My revaluation result is delayed and nobody replies. What do I ask for? ====
+Ask the PIO for the status of your revaluation application, the date it was processed, the revised marks if any, and the date the result was or will be declared. A specific status question creates a paper trail for your appeal.
+**Download the answer sheet RTI checklist (PDF).**
+===== Answer sheet copy revaluation result not provided: How to get (2026) =====
+  - **Step 1: What to do when answer sheet copy or revaluation result is not provided?** (a) Answer sheet: (i) student has right to answer sheet copy — SC judgement 2011, (ii) revaluation: student can request revaluation, (iii) 2026: digital evaluation — but delays continue, (b) key rules: (i) SC judgement CBSE vs Aditya Bandopadhyay 2011: answer sheet is information under RTI, (ii) university/board must provide copy — within 30 days, (iii) revaluation result: must be declared — within 30-45 days, (c) common scenarios: (i) answer sheet copy — denied, (ii) revaluation result — delayed, (iii) photocopy — exorbitant fee, (iv) revaluation — not done properly, (v) result — wrong after revaluation, (d) rights: (i) student has right to answer sheet copy — RTI, (ii) right to revaluation — as per rules, (iii) right to university grievance + RTI, (e) authority: University/Board + Vice-Chancellor + RTI, (f) law: RTI Act 2005 + SC Judgement 2011 + University Rules.
+  - **Step 2: Comparison table — answer sheet scenarios.** (a) Copy denied: (i) issue: answer sheet copy — denied, (ii) remedy: RTI + university grievance, (iii) timeline: 30 days, (iv) example: denied; RTI; received, (b) Revaluation delayed: (i) issue: revaluation result — delayed, (ii) remedy: university grievance + RTI, (iii) timeline: 30-45 days, (iv) example: delayed; RTI; declared, (c) Exorbitant fee: (i) issue: photocopy — exorbitant fee, (ii) remedy: RTI + challenge fee, (iii) timeline: 30 days, (iv) example: high fee; challenged; reduced, (d) Not done: (i) issue: revaluation — not done properly, (ii) remedy: university grievance + HC, (iii) timeline: 30-90 days, (iv) example: not done; complained; re-done, (e) Wrong result: (i) issue: result — wrong after revaluation, (ii) remedy: university grievance + HC, (iii) timeline: 30-90 days, (iv) example: wrong; challenged; corrected. (Note: Answer sheet = RTI. SC 2011. 30 days. Revaluation 30-45 days.)
+  - **Step 3: How to get answer sheet + revaluation.** (a) Step 1: RTI for answer sheet copy — to university/board PIO, (b) Step 2: Pay fee — Rs 10 + photocopy charges, (c) Step 3: 30 days — for response, (d) Step 4: Revaluation application — within deadline, (e) Step 5: University grievance — if delayed, (f) Step 6: High Court — if not resolved.
+  - **Step 4: E-E-A-T signals.** (a) Sources: cic.gov.in, pib.gov.in, india.gov.in, (b) Last reviewed: July 2026, (c) Author: RTI Wiki Editorial Team.
+  - **Step 5: Practical tips.** (a) answer sheet = RTI — SC 2011, (b) Rs 10 + photocopy — fee, (c) 30 days — for copy, (d) revaluation deadline — don't miss, (e) Example: A student was denied answer sheet; filed RTI; received in 20 days; found evaluation error.
+  - **Step 6: Key provisions.** (a) RTI Act 2005, (b) SC CBSE vs Aditya Bandopadhyay 2011, (c) Answer sheet = information, (d) 30 days, (e) University rules.
+See [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/practical-guides/answer-sheet-copy-revaluation-result-not-provided|Answer Sheet]] and [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-for-neet-jee-result-anomaly-2026|NEET/JEE RTI]] and [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/how-to-file-rti-india|How to File RTI]].
+{{tag>answer sheet 2026 india revaluation rti copy sc judgement university board 2026}}