A Supreme Court bench on Thursday (February 22) has stayed an order of Delhi High Court which had granted access of the marks obtained in civil services exam under Right to Information (RTI) Act. The apex court said that it will create a chaos if it will fall under RTI Act.

The bench of A K Goel and U U Lalit was acting on the plea filed by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which averred that revealing of marks could lead to undermining the credibility of the examination system and people would come to know about the grading mechanism utilized by it.

“Weighing the need for transparency and accountability on the one hand and requirement of optimum use of fiscal resources and confidentiality of sensitive information on the other, we are of the view that information sought with regard to marks in Civil Services Exam cannot be directed to be furnished mechanically.

“Situation of exams of other academic bodies may stand on different footing. Furnishing raw marks will cause problems as pleaded by the UPSC which will not be in public interest,” The Times of India quoted the bench as saying.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had passed the order acting on the petition filed by a bunch of unsuccessful candidates who had appeared in 2010 civil services examination.

The candidate had wanted information in the form of cut-off marks for every scaling method, subject, model answers and complete result of all aspirants.

—India Legal Bureau