RTI for RPSC — RAS Exam Marks, Answer Sheet and Merit List in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Constitution of India. Headquartered at Ghooghra Ghati in Ajmer, RPSC is the apex recruitment and examination authority for gazetted Group A and Group B state service posts in Rajasthan. Its most prominent examination is the RAS/RTS Combined Competitive Examination — the gateway to the Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS), Rajasthan Police Service (RPS), Rajasthan Accounts Service, Rajasthan Finance Service, and more than a dozen other state services. RPSC also conducts examinations for state government lecturers (college-level), Rajasthan Forest Service officers, statistical officers, and various other Group A/B posts.

The RAS examination has three stages: a Preliminary Examination (objective type, used as a screening test), a Main Examination (descriptive, multiple papers), and a Personality Test (interview). Because competition is intense — lakhs of candidates appear for a few hundred vacancies — knowledge of marks, cut-offs, answer sheet evaluation, and merit list composition is of direct, personal consequence to every aspirant. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is the most effective legal tool to obtain this information from RPSC. RPSC is a state public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005, and is fully subject to the disclosure obligations of the Act.

RPSC vs RSMSSB: Two Different Bodies, Two Different RTI Addresses

A common and costly mistake among Rajasthan government job aspirants is confusing RPSC with RSMSSB (Rajasthan Staff Selection Board, also known as RSSB or Rajasthan Subordinate and Ministerial Services Selection Board). These are two entirely separate public authorities with distinct mandates, addresses, and SPIO designations.

RPSC (Rajasthan Public Service Commission) is headquartered at Ghooghra Ghati, Ajmer, and conducts examinations for gazetted Group A and Group B posts — RAS, RPS, Rajasthan Forest Service, Rajasthan Accounts Service, state college lectureships, and similar higher-level positions. If the advertisement for your exam was issued by RPSC and the post is a Class I or Class II gazetted officer, file your RTI with RPSC in Ajmer.

RSMSSB (Rajasthan Staff Selection Board) is headquartered in Jaipur and conducts examinations for non-gazetted Group C and Group D posts — patwari, LDC (lower division clerk), junior accountant, Rajasthan constable, forest guard, lab assistant, and similar positions. If your exam was conducted by RSMSSB, file your RTI with the SPIO, RSMSSB, Jaipur — also through rti.rajasthan.gov.in.

Both portals use the same Rajasthan RTI portal, but the authority and address differ. Filing with the wrong body will result in a Section 6(3) transfer (if the receiving SPIO is diligent) or an outright rejection, in either case causing a delay of weeks. Always check your original exam advertisement to confirm which body conducted the exam before filing your RTI.

What RTI Can Get You from RPSC

The RTI Act, 2005, gives every citizen the right to obtain information held by public authorities — including examination records, evaluation sheets, and selection data. For RPSC examinations, the following categories of information are routinely obtainable through RTI:

Marks at Each Stage

• Your raw score (marks obtained) in each paper of the Preliminary Examination, the paper-wise maximum marks, and the aggregate
• Your marks in each compulsory and optional paper (or general studies paper) of the Main (Written) Examination, and the aggregate Main marks
• Your marks in the Personality Test (Interview) and the identity (name and designation) of the interview board members who assessed you
• The combined aggregate merit score — including the formula or weightage applied for each stage (Mains + Interview, or all three stages if Prelims is counted in the final merit)
• Whether normalisation, scaling, or moderation was applied to any paper and the formula used

Evaluated Answer Sheets

The Supreme Court of India in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011) held that evaluated answer sheets are "information" within the meaning of the RTI Act and must be provided to the examinee on request. RPSC is bound by this ruling. You can request certified copies of your evaluated answer booklets for the descriptive Main Examination papers. Be specific — mention the examination name, roll number, and the paper(s) for which you want the copy. RPSC will typically charge the standard per-page copying fee prescribed under the Rajasthan RTI Rules (usually ₹2 per page) in addition to the ₹10 application fee. For Prelims (objective/MCQ), there are no descriptive answer booklets; ask for your score and the official answer key used for evaluation instead.

Cut-off Marks

• The minimum qualifying marks (cut-off) applied at each stage of the examination — Preliminary, Main, and Interview — in each category: General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, PwD (with sub-categories if applicable), Ex-Serviceman, and TSP (Tribal Sub-Plan) if applicable
• Whether any relaxation in cut-offs was applied for any category, and the basis for such relaxation

Merit List and Rank

• Your rank or position in the final category-wise merit list
• The total number of candidates placed in the merit list in your category and overall
• The list of selected candidates (by merit rank, roll number, category, and post or district allocated), if published
• The criteria and procedure for post/district allocation — whether by order of merit, candidate preference, administrative needs, or a combination

Selection and Examination Procedure Records

• The advertisement or notification for the examination, including the vacancy details and reservation distribution
• The examination schedule, centre allocation procedure, and conduct-of-examination standing orders
• Any court orders, stay orders, or directions received by RPSC in connection with the examination
• The minutes or proceedings of RPSC's examination committee meetings related to paper setting, evaluation, and result publication (subject to any applicable exemption for deliberative processes)

Where to File Your RTI

RPSC is a Rajasthan state public authority. File your RTI application with:

State Public Information Officer (SPIO) Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) Ghooghra Ghati, Ajmer – 305 001

RPSC also designates SPIOs at the departmental level for specific examinations. If you know the specific section handling your examination (e.g., the RAS examination section), you may address the SPIO for that section. However, filing with the SPIO at the RPSC headquarters address above is always valid and safe — the SPIO will internally route the request if needed.

The second appeal for RPSC goes to the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC), not the Central Information Commission (CIC). RPSC is a state constitutional body. The CIC has jurisdiction only over Central Government bodies. Sending your second appeal to the CIC will result in it being returned as not maintainable.

How to File: Step-by-Step via rti.rajasthan.gov.in

Step 1: Identify Your Examination Details

Before filing, gather the following: the official name of the examination (exactly as in the RPSC advertisement), the advertisement/vacancy number, your Prelims roll number and Mains roll number (if different), your category, and the post(s) you applied for. The more precise your application, the faster and more complete the response.

Step 2: Draft Your RTI Application

Use the sample application provided above as your base. Choose only the information points that apply to your situation — if you are seeking marks only (not an answer sheet copy), remove the answer sheet request to keep the application focused. Numbered, specific requests get better responses than omnibus requests.

Step 3: File Online at rti.rajasthan.gov.in

Visit the Rajasthan RTI portal at rti.rajasthan.gov.in. Register or log in, select "Rajasthan Public Service Commission" as the public authority, and submit your application online. Pay the ₹10 fee through the portal's payment gateway. You will receive an acknowledgement with a registration number — save it for tracking and appeals.

Alternatively, submit a physical application by registered post or in person to the SPIO, RPSC, Ghooghra Ghati, Ajmer – 305 001. Pay the ₹10 fee by Indian Postal Order or demand draft in favour of "Secretary, Rajasthan Public Service Commission." BPL cardholders are exempt from the fee; attach a copy of your BPL card. If submitting in person, ask for a dated acknowledgement.

Step 4: Track and Follow Up

The SPIO must respond within 30 days of receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). If the information concerns life or liberty, the deadline is 48 hours. Keep your acknowledgement number and track the application status on the RTI portal. If 30 days pass without a response, proceed to the First Appeal immediately — do not wait.

Step 5: First Appeal (if needed)

If RPSC does not respond within 30 days, or provides an incomplete or evasive reply, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) with the First Appellate Authority (FAA), RPSC, Ajmer within 30 days of the date of the decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. No fee is required. State your RTI registration number, the date of filing, the deficiency in the response, and the specific information still being sought.

Step 6: Second Appeal to RSIC (if needed)

If the FAA also fails to respond or gives an unsatisfactory reply, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) with the Rajasthan State Information Commission (RSIC), Jaipur within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. No fee is required. The RSIC can direct RPSC to furnish the information and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the SPIO personally under Section 20 of the RTI Act for wilful non-compliance.

Detailed Information You Should Request

When your core concern is the fairness of the selection process — beyond just your personal marks — consider asking for the following additional records in your RTI application:

Vacancy and reservation data: The total number of vacancies advertised in each category (General, OBC-NCL, SC, ST, EWS, PwD, Ex-Serviceman, TSP), the number of vacancies filled from the merit list, and whether the backlog vacancies (if any) from previous years were clubbed with the current year's vacancies.

Interview board composition: The name, designation, and institutional affiliation of the chairman and each member of the interview board(s) that conducted Personality Tests. This is particularly relevant if you believe that any board member had a conflict of interest, or that your board was constituted differently from boards assessing other candidates.

Normalisation or scaling methodology: If the examination involved multiple shifts or multiple sets of question papers (common in large-scale competitive exams), ask for the complete normalisation/scaling formula applied, the reason for adopting it, and whether the formula was published in the official notification. If RPSC applied normalisation without prior disclosure in the advertisement, the RTI record can be the basis for a legal challenge.

Answer key challenge proceedings: If RPSC invited objections to the provisional answer key and revised the final answer key after evaluation — ask for the number of objections received for each question, which questions were revised, the reasons recorded for revision or non-revision, and the committee that reviewed the objections.

Court orders affecting the examination: If the result or merit list was stayed by a court at any point, ask for the court case number and the specific relief granted, and the current status of the litigation affecting the examination timeline.

These records go beyond personal marks and help you assess whether the entire examination was conducted fairly and in accordance with the advertised rules. They are equally useful for RTI applicants acting in the public interest — journalists, researchers, and civic society organisations — who want to examine RPSC's examination conduct without personal stake in the result.

Key Points to Remember

• RPSC is headquartered in Ajmer, not Jaipur. The filing address and any physical communication must go to Ajmer.
• The second appeal goes to RSIC (Rajasthan State Information Commission) in Jaipur — not to the CIC in New Delhi. RPSC is a state body.
• Evaluated answer sheets for the descriptive Main Examination are obtainable under RTI per the Supreme Court's ruling in CBSE v. Aditya Bandopadhyay (2011). Prelims answer sheets (OMR sheets) may or may not be retained by RPSC after scanning; ask for your raw score and the answer key instead.
• RPSC sometimes claims that examination records are held by the Controller of Examination or a specific department section — in such cases, the SPIO is still the correct first point of contact and is responsible for routing the request internally under Section 5(4) of the RTI Act.
• If you are seeking information about a RSMSSB/RSSB exam (patwari, LDC, constable, etc.) rather than an RPSC exam, the correct SPIO is at RSMSSB, Jaipur — not RPSC, Ajmer.