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The Central Information Commission has directed CBSE to disclose point-wise information on expenditure and procurement of answer books for Class 10 and 12 exams, partially overturning its RTI denial, officials said. The panel said exempt details may be redacted under the RTI Act. The order follows an appeal seeking transparency in tendering, costs and vendor selection processes.

New Delhi, Jun 14: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to disclose "point-wise categorical" information permissible under the RTI Act related to expenditure on exams and details of answer books, including the tendering and procurement process, for Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations.

After setting aside the CBSE's earlier denial of information under the RTI, the transparency panel asked it to furnish revised replies and said that the information exempt from disclosure may be redacted or masked under Section 10 of the RTI Act, while any denial under Section 8(1)(d) should be properly justified.

The case arose from an RTI application seeking details of answer books used in Class 10 and Class 12 board examinations during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 sessions, including paper quality, number of pages, size, purchase cost, total expenditure, GST payments and details of the tender process for procurement of answer sheets.

In its response, the CBSE disclosed certain specifications of the answer books, stating that the paper used ranged from 60 GSM to 120 GSM, answer books contained 8, 20, 32, 40 or 48 pages and were available in sizes of 22 x 28 cm and 37.5 x 54.5 cm.