Does the new ordinance of University of Pune contravene RTI Act?
2 Dec, 2013
As the Ordinance 182 of the University of Pune was criticized for being 'unlawful' and for violating the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and the Supreme Court ruling, the university has come up with the new ordinance 184 (A) and (B) that enables the students to access the photocopies of their assessed answer sheets.
However, it is alleged that a few of the provisions in the new ordinance also contradict the provisions of the transparency act. In this regard, a local advocacy group has filed a complaint with the Chief Information Commissioner. The complaint says that as per the new ordinance, the students can request for the photocopies of their answer sheets within 10 days of declaration of results and that the university would not be responsible for failure or delay in providing photocopies of evaluated/re-evaluated answer sheets due to any reasons beyond its control.
The complaint, filed under Section 18 of RTI Act, states that according to the newly introduced ordinance, the examinee would not have the right to transfer the photocopy of his evaluated answer sheet to any person for any purpose. Alleging that the said provisions of the new ordinance are arbitrary in nature and contravene the spirit of the RTI Act, the advocacy group Sajag Nagarik Manch has requested the CIC to address the issue on a priority basis as the decision might affect lakhs of students.