Get Your Evaluated Answer Sheet Under RTI

Ananya is a Class 12 science-stream student in Bhopal district. Her CBSE board result came out in May, and she scored 71 in Physics — at least 20 marks lower than every mock test she had sat for that year. One six-mark question on electromagnetism, she is sure, was never evaluated. The page in her answer sheet for that question sits blank in her memory; the examiner, she suspects, skipped it. The CBSE re-evaluation window costs money and changes marks only in clear cases of totalling error. What she actually wants is to see the script — to know whether the question was marked, and whether moderation was applied.

For decades, boards refused. “The answer sheet is confidential,” they said. “It belongs to the examiner in fiduciary trust.” They charged Rs.500, Rs.750, sometimes more, for a photocopy, and wrapped the whole process in conditions: apply only between day 61 and day 75 after the result, pay by demand draft, no inspection allowed. A student who could not afford the fee, or who missed the narrow window, was left guessing.

That changed on 9 August 2011. The Supreme Court of India, in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, held that an evaluated answer sheet is “information” under the Right to Information Act, and that every examinee has the right to inspect it and obtain a certified copy — at the statutory fee of Rs.2 per page. This guide shows you exactly how to exercise that right, using only verified facts as they stand today.

An evaluated answer sheet is the physical or scanned script on which an examiner has recorded marks, comments and initials against each answer. Once a board or university has evaluated it, the script becomes a record held by a “public authority” — any body owned, controlled or substantially financed by the government, which includes CBSE, CISCE, UPSC, SSC, every state education board, and every public university. All of these are bound by the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act, “information” includes records, documents, opinions and advices. The Supreme Court in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497 (Civil Appeal No. 6454 of 2011, decided 9 August 2011 by R.V. Raveendran and A.K. Patnaik JJ) held that an evaluated answer sheet contains the examiner's opinion, and therefore falls squarely within Section 2(f). The Court rejected three defences that boards had relied on for years:

1. Fiduciary relationship (Section 8(1)(e)) — the Court held there is no fiduciary relationship between the examiner and the examining body in relation to the evaluated script. The examiner is an agent doing evaluated work; the script belongs to the board, which holds it for the examinee.
2. Physical safety of examiners (Section 8(1)(g)) — this exemption does apply, but only to the identity of the examiner. The board must sever the examiner's name and initials under Section 10 before supplying the copy. The script itself is still disclosed.
3. Contrary bye-laws — the Court held that Section 22 of the RTI Act has overriding effect. Any board bye-law that conflicts with the RTI right is overridden.

The Court was equally clear about one boundary: re-evaluation is not a relief available under the RTI Act. The Act gives you access to information; it does not direct the board to change your marks. Once you have the script, you decide whether to separately apply for the board's paid re-evaluation process, or to challenge the result in court.

Once your RTI application reaches the PIO, the process runs along a fixed track:

1. Day 0 — receipt. The PIO logs the application and routes it to the examination/evaluation wing that holds the scripts.
2. Day 1–20 — retrieval and severance. The script is pulled from storage (or the digital scan is located). The examiner's name, initials and any identifying marks are severed under Section 8(1)(g) read with Section 10. A certified photocopy or print of the scan is prepared.
3. Day 21–29 — fee intimation. Under Section 7(3), the PIO sends you a fee intimation for the copy — Rs.2 per page for A-3 or smaller paper, plus any actual costs of larger sheets. You pay within the time given; the 30-day clock is paused while you pay.
4. Day 30 — supply. The certified copy is handed over, posted, or emailed. Inspection of records, if you asked for it instead, is free for the first hour and Rs.5 for each subsequent hour or fraction under the Right to Information Rules, 2012.

One thing to understand: the statutory fee ceiling is set by the Central RTI Rules, not by the board. In Paras Jain v. Institute of Company Secretaries of India, the Delhi High Court (LPA 275/2014, 22 April 2014) quashed ICSI's Rs.500-per-answer-book charge as unsustainable, holding that when a copy is sought under the RTI Act the fee is Rs.2 per page. The Supreme Court later (Civil Appeal No. 5665/2014, 11 April 2019) upheld that the RTI route at Rs.2 per page and the institute's own guidelines are two parallel avenues — a candidate may choose either. So if a board demands Rs.500 or Rs.750, that is not a legal fee under the RTI route.

Two things have moved on since the 2011 ruling, and both affect when you should file.

First — CBSE's weeding-out (retention) rules have changed. Under the base bye-law (Chapter 8, Confidential Works), answer books were retained for three months and then destroyed. The Aditya Bandopadhyay Court held that the right of access does not extend beyond the board's retention period — once the script is legally weeded out, it is gone. CBSE's current weeding-out rule page now sets a tiered retention:

1. Answer books (main and improvement) where no verification or photocopy is requested — retained up to 2 months after result declaration.
2. Where a photocopy has been provided — 1 year if no RTI case, 3 years if an RTI case is on record.
3. Where a mistake is detected on verification — 1 year.
4. Sub-judice cases — 1 year after the final judgment.

The practical lesson: file within two months of the result for routine CBSE cases. If you file late and the script has been weeded out, the board will reply with a certification of non-availability, and the right is lost.

Second — the Central RTI Online Portal (rtionline.gov.in) now covers 2,300-plus Central public authorities, including CBSE, CISCE, UPSC and constitutional bodies. The Rs.10 application fee is paid through the SBI gateway by UPI, debit card or credit card. BPL applicants file free with a certificate. The portal does not cover State government authorities — an application for a state board sent through rtionline.gov.in will be returned without refund. For state boards and state universities, use your state's RTI portal or file offline to the CPIO.

RTI is powerful because it has a built-in ladder. A PIO who replies with “the answer sheet is confidential” or simply ignores your application is not the end of the road — and the Aditya Bandopadhyay ruling means the refusal is almost certainly unlawful.

1. First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If no reply comes within 30 days, or the reply is a refusal you believe is wrong, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) in the same examining body. Do this within 30 days of the expiry of the reply period (or of receiving the refusal). The FAA is a senior officer — usually the Joint Secretary or the Controller of Examinations — who reviews the PIO's decision. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 in rare cases. There is no fee for a First Appeal.
2. Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA also fails you, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (for CBSE, CISCE, UPSC and other Central bodies) at cic.gov.in, or with your State Information Commission for state boards and state universities. File within 90 days of the FAA's decision (or of the date by which the FAA should have decided). There is no fee for a second appeal to the Central Information Commission.
3. Complaint under Section 18: You can also file a direct complaint to the Information Commission if the PIO never replied at all, refused to accept your application, or demanded an illegal fee. The Commission can order disclosure and even penalise a PIO who withheld information without reasonable cause, with a penalty of up to Rs.25,000 under Section 20.

For answer-sheet cases, the most common refusal pattern is the board citing “fiduciary relationship” under Section 8(1)(e) — exactly the defence the Supreme Court rejected in Aditya Bandopadhyay. Quoting the relevant paragraph of the judgment in your First Appeal usually resolves the matter at the FAA stage, well before the Commission.

Step 1 — Identify the public authority and the PIO.

1. Central boards and bodies — CBSE, CISCE, UPSC, SSC, NTA, constitutional bodies, central universities, IITs, NITs: file to the CPIO of that body. The Central RTI fee of Rs.10 applies.
2. State boards and state universities — your state education board, state universities: file to the CPIO (usually the Registrar or the Controller of Examinations). State RTI fees apply; most states also charge Rs.10, but check your state's RTI Rules.
3. CBSE regional route — you can also file offline to the CPIO, CBSE Regional Office that covers your school.

Step 2 — File within the retention window. For CBSE, file within two months of result declaration. For other bodies, file as early as possible — the script will still be in active storage. Filing within a week of the result is the safest window.

Step 3 — Choose your filing mode.

1. Online (Central bodies): Go to rtionline.gov.in, select the public authority (e.g. “Central Board of Secondary Education”), fill the application, pay Rs.10 by UPI/card. Save the registration number.
2. Offline: Print the sample letter below, attach a Rs.10 Indian Postal Order (in favour of “Accounts Officer, [examining body]”) or court-fee stamp, and send by registered post to the CPIO. Keep the acknowledgement.
3. State portals: For state boards, use your state's RTI online portal if one exists (many states now have one).

Step 4 — Draft sharp, specific questions. Do not write “give me all information about my result.” Ask for named records. Five strong sample questions:

1. “Furnish a certified photocopy or high-resolution scan of my evaluated answer sheet for [Subject/Paper code], Examination [name], Session [year], Roll No. [number].”
2. “Furnish the question-wise and sub-question-wise marks awarded on my answer sheet, alongside the examiner's marking and the moderator's or head-examiner's marking where both exist.”
3. “Furnish the moderation, grace or scaling applied to my result in [Subject], with the official rule or circular number under which it was applied.”
4. “If any question was dropped post-exam from evaluation, furnish the official notification and the date of issue.”
5. “Furnish the date by which evaluated answer scripts for [Examination] are retained before weeding out, and confirm whether my script is currently within the retention period.”

Step 5 — Pay the copy fee when intimated. The PIO will send a Section 7(3) intimation asking for Rs.2 per page. Pay it within the time stated. The 30-day clock resumes only after you pay.

Step 6 — Receive and check. When the copy arrives, verify that examiner identity has been severed, that all pages are legible, and that the marks match the totals on your marksheet. If pages are missing or illegible, file a follow-up application or a First Appeal.

1. A copy of your admit card / hall ticket showing roll number and examination.
2. A copy of your marksheet or result printout.
3. Proof of Rs.10 fee payment — IPO counterfoil, court-fee stamp, or online payment receipt.
4. BPL certificate if claiming the fee waiver under Rule 5 of the Right to Information Rules, 2012.
5. A self-addressed stamped envelope if filing offline, so the reply can be posted.

1. Filing after the retention window. For CBSE, scripts are weeded out as early as two months after the result. File early. Once the script is legally destroyed, the board will reply with non-availability and the right is lost.
2. Paying the board's inflated fee. If a board demands Rs.500 or Rs.750 per answer book under its own guidelines, that is a separate avenue — not the RTI route. Under the RTI route the fee is Rs.2 per page (Paras Jain, SC 2019). Cite the case and pay only Rs.2 per page.
3. Asking for another student's answer sheet. A different candidate's script is third-party personal information under Section 8(1)(j); the PIO will reject it. You have a right only to your own script.
4. Confusing RTI inspection with re-evaluation. RTI gives you the script. Re-evaluation is a separate, paid board process that can change marks. The Aditya Bandopadhyay Court was explicit: re-evaluation is not an RTI relief.
5. Demanding the examiner's name. The examiner's identity is severed under Section 8(1)(g) read with Section 10. You get the marks and the comments, not the name. Asking for the name will be rejected and can delay the rest of your application.
6. Filing a state-board application on rtionline.gov.in. The Central portal does not cover state authorities; the application will be returned without refund. Use your state RTI portal or file offline.

1. File within a week of the result. The script is still in active storage, the evaluation wing has not yet weeded anything out, and the PIO can retrieve it without hunting through archives. A week is the sweet spot; two months is the outer edge for CBSE routine cases.
2. Ask for a certified copy, not just inspection. Inspection is cheaper (free for the first hour) but you cannot easily use an on-site reading in a later re-evaluation or court challenge. A certified photocopy is evidence you can hold, scan and attach.
3. Cite the case in the first line of your application. The single sentence “relying on CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497” tells the PIO you know the law is settled. It dramatically cuts the chance of a reflexive “confidential” refusal.
4. Use the online portal for Central bodies. rtionline.gov.in gives you a registration number, a time-stamped record, and an audit trail — all of which make a First Appeal much easier if the board stalls. Offline postal applications work, but keep the acknowledgement.
5. Pair the RTI with the board's own re-evaluation, if you want marks changed. The two are not mutually exclusive. The Paras Jain Supreme Court (2019) held both avenues run in parallel. Use the RTI copy to decide whether the paid re-evaluation is worth it, and as evidence if you later go to court.
6. Check your state's RTI Rules before filing for a state board. Most states mirror the Central Rs.10 fee and Rs.2-per-page copy charge, but a few have their own fee schedules and forms. Filing in the wrong form is a common cause of delay.

To,
The Central Public Information Officer,
[Examining Body — e.g. Central Board of Secondary Education / CISCE / UPSC / University],
[Address]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, for a certified copy of my evaluated answer sheet.

Sir/Madam,

I, [Name], citizen of India, resident of [Full Address], hereby submit the following application under Section 6(1) of the RTI Act, 2005, relying on the Supreme Court judgment in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497, which held that an evaluated answer sheet is "information" under Section 2(f) and that the examinee has a right to inspect and obtain a certified copy.

Examination: ________
Session / Year: ________
Roll No. / Registration Number: ________
Subject / Paper code: ________
Date of declaration of result: ________

Please furnish the following:

1. A certified photocopy or high-resolution scan of my evaluated answer sheet for the above subject/paper, with the examiner's identity severed under Section 8(1)(g) read with Section 10 of the RTI Act.
2. Question-wise and sub-question-wise marks awarded on my answer sheet, alongside the examiner's marking and the moderator's or head-examiner's marking where both exist on the record.
3. The moderation, grace or scaling applied to my result in this subject, with the official rule or circular number under which it was applied.
4. If any question was dropped post-exam from evaluation, the official notification and date of issue.
5. The date by which evaluated answer scripts for this examination are retained before weeding out, and confirmation of whether my script is currently within the retention period.
6. The procedure and fee prescribed for re-evaluation or re-totalling under the board's own regulations.

I enclose Indian Postal Order / challan / online payment receipt No. __________ for Rs.10 as the application fee. I undertake to pay Rs.2 per page for certified copies as required under the Right to Information Rules, 2012.

I declare that I am an Indian citizen. The information sought is my own evaluated answer sheet; no reason for the request is required under Section 6(2) of the RTI Act.

Yours faithfully,
[Signature, Date, Place]
[Name, Address, Contact]

It applies to every examining body that is a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act — CBSE, CISCE, UPSC, SSC, NTA, every state education board, and every public university. The Supreme Court's reasoning in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay was general: an evaluated answer sheet contains the examiner's opinion and is information under Section 2(f). That ratio binds all public examining bodies.

No. Under Section 6(2) of the RTI Act, an applicant need not give any reason for requesting information. Your motive — whether curiosity, a re-evaluation decision, or preparation for litigation — is irrelevant. The board must supply the script and let you decide what to do with it.

Under the Right to Information Rules, 2012, the application fee is Rs.10, and the copy fee is Rs.2 per page for A-3 or smaller paper. Inspection is free for the first hour and Rs.5 for each subsequent hour. A board's own higher fee (e.g. Rs.500 or Rs.750 per answer book) is a separate, non-RTI avenue — the Paras Jain Supreme Court ruling (2019) confirmed both avenues exist and you may choose the cheaper RTI route.

The right of access does not extend beyond the board's retention period, as the Aditya Bandopadhyay Court noted. For CBSE, routine scripts are weeded out as early as two months after the result; scripts where a photocopy was given are kept one to three years. If the script is gone, the board should issue a certification of non-availability. The lesson is to file early — within days, not months, of the result.

Yes. Inspection means you go to the board's office and read the script on the spot — free for the first hour, Rs.5 per hour after that. A certified copy is a photocopy or scan given to you, at Rs.2 per page. Inspection is cheaper but you cannot take the script home or use it easily in a later re-evaluation or court challenge; a certified copy is the safer choice for evidence.

No. The examiner's identity is protected under Section 8(1)(g) (physical safety) and must be severed under Section 10 before the copy is given to you. You receive the marks, comments and initials stripped of identifying detail. Asking for the name will be rejected and can delay the rest of your application.

File a First Appeal under Section 19(1) with the First Appellate Authority of the same department, within 30 days of the expiry of the reply period. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45. If the FAA also fails, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with the Central Information Commission (cic.gov.in) for Central bodies, or your State Information Commission, within 90 days. There is no fee for a second appeal to the Central Information Commission.

No. Another candidate's script is third-party personal information under Section 8(1)(j), which exempts personal information where there is no larger public interest. You have a right only to your own evaluated answer sheet.

1. CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay, (2011) 8 SCC 497 — Supreme Court of India, 9 August 2011: [indiankanoon.org/doc/1519371/](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/1519371/)
2. Right to Information Rules, 2012 (Rule 3 — Rs.10 fee; Rule 4(a) — Rs.2 per page; Rule 4(f) — inspection free first hour, Rs.5 per hour after; Rule 5 — BPL waiver): [npti.gov.in RTI Rules PDF](https://npti.gov.in/themes/npti/img/pdf/RTIRules_2012_English_0.pdf)
3. Paras Jain v. Institute of Company Secretaries of India, Delhi HC LPA 275/2014 (22 April 2014), upheld by SC Civil Appeal No. 5665/2014 (11 April 2019): [indiankanoon.org/doc/28358059/](https://indiankanoon.org/doc/28358059/)
4. CBSE Bye-laws, Chapter 8 (Confidential Works) — answer-book retention: [cbse.gov.in/Byelawsenglish.pdf](https://www.cbse.gov.in/Byelawsenglish.pdf)
5. CBSE weeding-out rules (current, tiered retention): [cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/weeding-out-rule.html](https://www.cbse.gov.in/cbsenew/weeding-out-rule.html)
6. Central RTI Online Portal (rtionline.gov.in): [rtionline.gov.in](https://rtionline.gov.in/) — help desk 011-24010690/691
7. Right to Information Act, 2005 — Sections 2(f), 2(h), 6(1), 6(2), 7(1), 7(3), 8(1)(e), 8(1)(g), 8(1)(j), 10, 19(1), 19(3), 22

1. RTI for answer sheet evaluation
2. RTI for CBSE re-evaluation records 2026
3. RTI for SSC and UPSC answer sheet 2026
4. RTI for university result rechecking
5. RTI for exam result delay
6. RTI for students and youth
7. Answer sheet copy or revaluation result not provided
8. Examination result withheld

Use the free AI RTI drafting tool at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/ai-rti-draft-app.html to auto-fill your Section 6(1) application from the facts above, and the PIO reply checker at https://righttoinformation.wiki/tools/pio-reply-checker-app.html to test whether a refusal citing “confidentiality” or “fiduciary relationship” is valid against the Aditya Bandopadhyay ruling.

Last reviewed: 4 July 2026.