Student who did not get seat files RTI application seeking details such as eligibility criteria

The Tamil Nadu Information Commission has directed the Women’s Christian College here to share details of admission procedure sought by a student under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

The case arises out of a petition filed by N. Yashwi Reddy of Tiruvallur district who had applied for admission to M.Sc (Applied Psychology) and did not get a seat last year. The student filed a petition under RTI seeking status of her candidature, eligibility criteria for admission, details of marks and cut-off marks.

The college Principal/Public Information Officer replied that the candidate was not selected and denied information to other questions stating that it had no public interest. Aggrieved over the denial of information, the applicant filed an appeal under Section 19(1) of the Act before the First Appellate Authority and when there was no response, she moved the Tamil Nadu Information Commission under the provisions of Section 19(3) of the Act.

Admission criteria

Pointing to a reference made by the Principal/PIO that the procedure was as per the “admission criteria followed in a minority institution especially in relation to Women’s Christian College, Chennai”, the State Information Commissioner S. Muthuraj said that the reply was “vague” in nature.

Referring to the University Grants Commission Guidelines for Autonomous Colleges, 2017, with regard to mandatory disclosures to be made on official websites, he said admission procedures should be stated clearly for the convenience of the public.

Citing a court judgment that “a minority institution may have its own procedure and method of admission as well as selection of students, but such a procedure must be fair and transparent, and the selection of students in professional and higher education colleges should be on the basis of merit,” Mr. Muthuraj said that the admission criteria and the procedure should not be veiled but made transparent for the public and subject to disclosure under the RTI Act.

Stating that the Madras High Court in the Tamil Nadu Dr Ambedkar Law University vs the Tamil Nadu Information Commission had ruled that “evaluated answer book is also an information under the RTI,” he said the plea of the petitioner seeking to know the marks obtained by her in the written examination/interview and the cut off marks was an information that could be obtained under the Act.

Mr. Muthuraj said that in the facts and circumstances of the case, the Commission found that the petitioner had established her case and directed the Principal/PIO to give information sought by her within 15 days. The order was being issued under the provisions of Section 5(1)(vii) of the Tamil Nadu Information Commission (Appeal Procedure) Rules, 2012, which empowered the Commission to issue orders or directions based on available documents or evidences without personal enquiry, if the Commission was satisfied about the adequacy of such material.