RTI for CGPSC — Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission Exam Marks, Answer Key and Selection Criteria

Lakhs of candidates across Chhattisgarh compete every year for a few hundred posts notified by the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) — the constitutional body that recruits officers to the state's Group A and Group B gazetted services. Yet, after each recruitment cycle, the vast majority of these candidates receive no information about their marks at any stage, the cut-off scores that determined who advanced to the next round, or the criteria that shaped the final merit list. The Right to Information Act, 2005, closes this gap completely. For a fee of ₹10, any CGPSC candidate can compel the Commission to disclose marks in each paper, the answer key used for the Preliminary Examination, category-wise cut-offs, interview marks, merit list criteria, and the vacancy distribution across SC, ST, OBC, EWS, and General categories.

CGPSC as a Public Authority under the RTI Act

The Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Constitution of India. It is headquartered at Jail Road, Raipur – 492001, Chhattisgarh, and functions under the broad administrative oversight of the General Administration Department, Government of Chhattisgarh. The Commission recruits for the Chhattisgarh State Service (CSS), the Chhattisgarh Forest Service, the Chhattisgarh Engineering Service, the Chhattisgarh Accounts Service, and numerous Group B gazetted posts across state departments.

CGPSC qualifies as a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. It was established by the Constitution, receives funding from the Consolidated Fund of Chhattisgarh, and performs public functions relating to recruitment and advice to the state government. This means CGPSC is legally obligated to designate a Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), to respond to RTI applications within 30 days under Section 7(1), and to provide the requested information in the form sought wherever practicable.

The CPIO for RTI applications is located at CGPSC's office at Jail Road, Raipur – 492001. Online filing information and RTI-related provisions are also available on CGPSC's official website at cgpsc.nic.in.

What RTI Can Obtain from CGPSC

Marks in Each Paper and Stage

The most basic and frequently needed information is marks. CGPSC does not automatically communicate to candidates their scores at the Preliminary Examination, the Main (Written) Examination, or the Personality Test / Interview. Through RTI, a candidate can obtain:

• Paper-wise marks in the Preliminary Examination (typically Paper I — General Studies and Paper II — Aptitude) along with maximum marks for each paper
• Paper-wise and section-wise marks in the Main (Written) Examination, covering all General Studies papers, optional subject papers, and language papers
• The total aggregate at each stage

This information is critical for understanding where exactly a candidate stood in the evaluation and whether any arithmetic error occurred at the marking or totalling stage.

Answer Key

The final answer key applied for evaluation of the Preliminary Examination is a particularly important document. In objective examinations, a single incorrect entry in the answer key can affect the scores of thousands of candidates simultaneously. Through RTI, candidates can obtain:

• The question-wise correct answers in the answer key applied to their paper series/set
• If the key was revised after initial publication, the revised key and the official stated reason for each revision
• The cut-off score at which the answer key revision affected shortlisting decisions

In past CGPSC recruitment cycles, answer key disputes have been a source of litigation. RTI provides documented evidence of which key was actually used, enabling candidates and civil society organisations to verify compliance with CGPSC's own published answer key.

Category-wise Cut-off Marks and Merit List Criteria

Chhattisgarh has one of the largest Scheduled Tribe populations of any Indian state — approximately 32% ST and 12% SC — making category-wise cut-offs in CGPSC recruitment a matter of constitutional significance for a very large proportion of aspirants.

Through RTI, candidates can obtain:

• Stage-wise, category-wise cut-offs: the minimum aggregate marks that determined who was shortlisted from Preliminary to Main, from Main to Interview, and who made the final merit list — broken down by General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwD, and Ex-Serviceman categories
• Merit list criteria: the formula or methodology used to prepare the final rank order, including any normalisation or scaling applied across paper sets or examiner cohorts
• Tie-breaking criteria: the rule applied where two or more candidates have identical aggregate marks

Interview Marks Breakdown

The Personality Test / Interview is the final stage of CGPSC recruitment and typically carries significant weight in the aggregate score. Through RTI, a candidate can obtain:

• Their marks awarded in the interview
• The composition of the interview board (board number, names and designations of members) that assessed them
• The marks awarded to all other candidates who appeared before the same board and were selected

The last point — marks of other candidates before the same board — is confirmed as disclosable by the Supreme Court in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497. The numerical score is not the examiner's personal information; it is an official record of the assessment conducted on behalf of the state. The exemption under Section 8(1)(e) for fiduciary information (which protects the deliberative discussions of the interview panel) does not extend to the marks themselves. CGPSC cannot rely on Section 8(1)(e) to withhold numerical interview scores.

Vacancy Distribution by Category

A candidate who believes they were eligible but were not selected may want to verify whether the vacancy allocation was conducted correctly. RTI can compel CGPSC to provide:

• Total vacancies notified under a specific advertisement
• Category-wise distribution: how many posts were allocated to General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, PwD, and Ex-Serviceman categories as per the reservation roster
• Number of posts actually filled in each category
• The reservation roster register, or a certified extract, showing the sequence in which vacancies were filled category-wise

This is particularly important for candidates from reserved categories, for whom reservation compliance — both vertical (category-wise allocation) and horizontal (PwD and Ex-Serviceman quotas within each vertical category) — has a direct bearing on selection outcomes.

The Legal Basis: Key RTI Act Provisions

The Section 8(1)(e) Exemption and Its Limits

Section 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act exempts information available to a person in his fiduciary relationship from mandatory disclosure. This exemption is sometimes invoked by public service commissions to resist RTI requests about interview proceedings.

The scope of this exemption in the CGPSC context is narrow. The Supreme Court in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497 examined whether an examination body's evaluation of a candidate could be protected as fiduciary information and rejected the argument. The Court held that the duty of an examiner or interview board member is a public duty — not a fiduciary relationship in the traditional sense that generates confidentiality in favour of the body against the very candidate being assessed.

What Section 8(1)(e) can legitimately protect is the internal discussion: the reasoning exchanged within the interview board about a candidate's responses, personality traits, and suitability. This deliberative element is similar to the protection given to cabinet papers under Section 8(1)(i). However, the numerical marks — the official scores recorded and used to prepare the merit list — are not the subjective deliberation of the board; they are official records of a public decision. These are disclosable, and the CPIO who withholds them without adequate reason is liable to penalty under Section 20.

When filing RTI for interview-related information, be precise: ask for the marks awarded and the composition of the board, not for a transcript or recording of interview proceedings. This framing is less likely to attract an exemption claim and is more likely to yield a complete response.

Step-by-Step: Filing RTI with CGPSC

Step 1 — Gather Examination Details

Before drafting the application, collect the following:

• Exact name of the examination (e.g., Chhattisgarh State Service Examination (CGSSE) 2024) and the advertisement/notification number
• Roll numbers for each stage — Preliminary and Mains roll numbers are often different
• Category (General / OBC / SC / ST / EWS / PwD / Ex-Serviceman)
• Dates of examination for each stage appeared
• Paper/subject names if requesting subject-specific Main Examination marks

Step 2 — Draft the Application

Use the sample RTI application provided in the frontmatter of this guide as a template. Structure each request as a separate numbered item. Cite CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497 when requesting evaluated answer scripts or interview marks.

Step 3 — File via the CGPSC Website or by Post

CGPSC's official website at cgpsc.nic.in provides information on RTI filing provisions. Check the site for any online submission mechanism. Alternatively, file your application by registered post to:

The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO)Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC)Jail Road, Raipur – 492001, Chhattisgarh

Enclose an Indian Postal Order (IPO) for ₹10 drawn in favour of the CPIO, CGPSC, Raipur. BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee — attach an attested copy of the BPL ration card and request fee exemption in the application body. Retain the postal dispatch receipt; the 30-day response clock runs from the date of receipt at the CGPSC office.

You may also file through the Chhattisgarh state RTI portal at rti.cg.gov.in if CGPSC is listed as a selectable public authority on that portal.

Step 4 — Track and Follow Up

The CPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt under Section 7(1). If you filed by post, follow up after 35 days if no response has been received. Keep copies of your application, postal receipt, and any response from CGPSC — these are needed for any appeal.

Appeals

First Appeal under Section 19(1)

If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, provides an incomplete response, or wrongly denies information, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Address the First Appeal to:

The First Appellate Authority (FAA)Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC)Jail Road, Raipur – 492001, Chhattisgarh

No fee is payable. The FAA must decide within 30 days, extendable to 45 days with recorded reasons. If the evaluated answer script was denied, cite CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497 prominently in the appeal.

Second Appeal under Section 19(3) — Chhattisgarh Information Commission

If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Chhattisgarh Information Commission (ChIC) within 90 days of the FAA's order or the expiry of the FAA's response deadline.

ChIC — not the Central Information Commission (CIC) in New Delhi — is the correct authority. CIC has jurisdiction only over Central Government bodies such as UPSC, SSC, and Union Ministry departments. CGPSC is a Chhattisgarh state constitutional body; ChIC has been established under Section 15 of the RTI Act to oversee state public authorities in Chhattisgarh.

ChIC has the power under Section 20 to impose a penalty of ₹250 per day, up to ₹25,000 maximum, personally on the CPIO for unjustified delay or refusal, and may also recommend disciplinary action and award compensation to the applicant.

Practical Tips

Always quote examination identifiers precisely. CGPSC conducts multiple recruitment examinations each year, each with its own record set. An application that fails to identify the specific exam, year, advertisement number, and roll number will at best receive a request for clarification, delaying the response clock.

Cite Aditya Bandopadhyay for answer scripts. Include the citation: "This request is made in accordance with CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) 8 SCC 497, which held that evaluated answer books are information under Section 2(f) and must be provided by public authorities." This pre-empts the most common ground for wrongful refusal.

File promptly after each stage result. Answer scripts, OMR sheets, and interview score cards have administrative retention periods. Filing within a few months of the relevant stage result declaration maximises the likelihood that the records still exist and are retrievable.

Use ChIC, not CIC, for second appeals. A second appeal filed at the CIC portal for a CGPSC matter will be dismissed for want of jurisdiction. Always escalate to ChIC under Section 19(3).

RTI reveals information; it does not directly revise results. If the RTI response reveals a marking error, an incorrect answer key entry, or a reservation roster violation, the next steps are a formal representation to CGPSC backed by the documented evidence, or a writ petition before the Chhattisgarh High Court (Bilaspur Bench) with that evidence. RTI provides the factual foundation; the remedy follows from that foundation.

For the large number of candidates from SC, ST, and EWS categories who compete for CGPSC posts — and for whom a single mark or an incorrect category allocation can mean the difference between selection and rejection — RTI is not a procedural nicety. It is the only affordable statutory mechanism for independently verifying whether the recruitment process was conducted correctly. A ₹10 application can uncover information that shapes decisions worth years of effort.