CIC to CBSE: Consider making class XII toppers’ particulars public

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has requested the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to discover the potential of putting details about toppers of sophistication XII examinations within the public area.
It has mentioned that the bigger public curiosity of the scholars and oldsters’ group warrants disclosure of at the least the very best marks scored and the corresponding title of the varsity for every tutorial yr.
Information Commissioner Saroj Punhani issued this order on Thursday on an enchantment filed by The Indian Express. The CBSE had denied data on names of sophistication XII toppers from 1998-2018, quoting its bylaws which say that it “does not prescribe overall division/distinction/aggregate rank etc” of scholars. CBSE’s CPIO Sajjan Kumar reiterated this stand earlier than the CIC as effectively through the listening to.

In its enchantment filed earlier than the CIC on June 5, 2019, The Indian Express has mentioned that when the Education Minister (earlier HRD Minister) congratulates toppers and all the pieces is effectively publicised, the CBSE should present the data below the RTI Act. Tweets of ministers had been hooked up with the enchantment.
Punhani marked a duplicate of her order to the CBSE chairperson with the “advice to perhaps explore the possibility of placing such information in the public domain sans the personal details of the concerned students.”
The order states that “in the considered opinion of this bench, larger public interest of the students and parents community warrants disclosure of at least the highest marks scored and the corresponding name of the school for each academic year in the public domain.”
During the enchantment, it was instructed to the CIC that by denying data which is of nice public curiosity, the CBSE has wasted time of the CIC, of the appellant and of the CBSE itself.
CBSE was requested to supply the Name, deal with, faculty title of the scholar who secured highest marks at school 12 within the examinations in 1998 to 2018. When the primary enchantment was filed earlier than the CBSE, it additional mentioned that it can’t present the data as a result of it has it in “commercial confidence” of third events and it pertains to “fiduciary relationship.”

The Board additionally denied the enchantment when it was reminded that such data could be disclosed below the RTI Act within the “public interest”.
During listening to on the CIC, the CBSE official mentioned that it supplies such particulars solely to authorities businesses on request and never below the RTI Act.