RTI for UPPSC State Service Commission Exam

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) is one of the largest and most significant state public service commissions in India. It conducts the UP Combined State/Upper Subordinate Services Examination (commonly called UPPSC PCS), the Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) Examination, the Assistant Prosecution Officer Examination, and dozens of other departmental recruitment examinations for Group A and Group B posts in the Uttar Pradesh state government. Each year, hundreds of thousands of candidates from across the state — and the country — appear in these examinations in pursuit of a government career. Yet for most of them, the selection process offers little transparency: results are declared with no individual breakdowns, cut-off marks are often published late or not at all, and candidates have no reliable way to know exactly where they stood or why they were not selected.

The Right to Information Act, 2005, closes this gap. UPPSC is a constitutional body established under Article 315 of the Constitution of India and funded from the Consolidated Fund of Uttar Pradesh. It is unambiguously a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, and every candidate who appears in a UPPSC examination has a legal right to seek information about their candidature — including marks at every stage, the answer key used for evaluation, cut-off marks, interview scores, merit list details, and the application of the reservation roster. Filing an RTI will not change your result, but it gives you the documented facts that allow you to understand your performance, verify the accuracy of the process, and take informed action if you believe an error has occurred.

What UPPSC Records Are Available Under RTI?

The range of information that UPPSC holds and must disclose under RTI is wide. Here is what candidates can specifically ask for:

Marks at every stage of the examination:

• Paper-wise and subject-wise marks in the Preliminary Examination (Screening Test), including General Studies Paper I and CSAT Paper II separately
• A certified copy of your OMR response sheet (for OMR-based exams) with the answer key applied for your paper series/set
• Subject-wise and paper-wise marks in the Main (Written) Examination
• Marks awarded in the Interview/Personality Test, along with the aggregate (written + interview combined)

Answer keys and objection outcomes:

• The final answer key applied for evaluation of the Preliminary Examination, including any modifications accepted after the objection resolution process
• Details of questions cancelled or modified and the reasons for such changes
• The outcome of the answer key objection process — which objections were accepted and which were rejected, and the basis for each decision

Cut-off marks:

• Category-wise cut-off marks at the Preliminary stage for shortlisting to the Main Examination
• Category-wise cut-off marks at the Main stage for shortlisting to the Interview/Personality Test
• Final aggregate cut-off marks (written + interview) applied for preparation of the merit list and recommendation for appointment

Interview scores and selection committee:

• Your marks in the Interview/Personality Test
• The composition or identifier of the interview/selection board that assessed you
• Criteria or marking framework used by the interview board, if any documented criteria exist

Merit list and reservation roster:

• Your rank or position in the final category-wise merit list
• The total number of candidates recommended for appointment in each category (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS, Ex-Serviceman, PH)
• The total number of vacancies notified and filled, category-wise
• The reservation roster applied for the recruitment, including whether any carry-forward of reserved vacancies occurred and the backlog, if any
• Tie-breaking criteria applied where candidates had equal aggregate marks

How to File an RTI with UPPSC

Step 1: Know What You Want to Ask

The most effective RTI applications are specific and numbered. Before drafting, identify: the exact name of the examination and notification/advertisement number, your roll number(s) for each stage you appeared at, your category, and the dates of examination. Vague requests such as "please provide all details about my result" are harder for the authority to respond to precisely and easier to dodge. Frame each query as a separate numbered point, each asking for one specific piece of information.

Step 2: Draft Your Application

Address your RTI application to the State Public Information Officer (SPIO), Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, 10 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Prayagraj – 211018. Mention that you are filing under Section 6 of the RTI Act, 2005, and list your information requests clearly, one per numbered point. You do not need to justify why you want the information or explain your purpose — you are simply exercising a statutory right.

Step 3: File Online via the UP RTI Portal

Uttar Pradesh operates a dedicated RTI filing portal at rtionlineup.up.nic.in. This is the fastest and most reliable way to file your application:

1. Visit rtionlineup.up.nic.in and register or log in
2. Select Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) as the public authority
3. Fill in the online form, paste your drafted RTI request text in the information sought field, and attach any supporting documents if relevant
4. Pay the application fee of ₹10 online
5. Note the registration number you receive — you will use it to track the application and to reference it in any appeal

Alternatively, you may send a physical RTI application by registered post or hand-deliver it to the SPIO, UPPSC, 10 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Prayagraj – 211018, along with an Indian Postal Order (IPO) for ₹10 drawn in favour of the SPIO, UPPSC. If you belong to the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category, attach an attested copy of your BPL certificate — the fee is waived entirely for BPL applicants.

Step 4: Track Your Application

UPPSC is required to respond within 30 days of receipt of your application under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. Track the status of your application on the UP RTI portal using your registration number. If UPPSC holds information about a third party, the response time may extend to 40 days. If the matter concerns the life or liberty of any person, UPPSC must respond within 48 hours under the Section 7(1) proviso.

The Appeals Process: What to Do if UPPSC Does Not Respond or Responds Inadequately

First Appeal Under Section 19(1)

If UPPSC does not respond within 30 days of receipt, or if the response is incomplete, evasive, incorrect, or refuses information without a valid legal basis, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of the decision or the expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. Address it to the First Appellate Authority (FAA), Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, 10 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, Prayagraj – 211018, referencing your original RTI registration number and briefly explaining why the response was inadequate or why you are appealing. There is no fee for filing a First Appeal.

Second Appeal Under Section 19(3) with UPSIC

If the First Appellate Authority's response is absent, inadequate, or unsatisfactory, you may escalate further by filing a Second Appeal with the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission (UPSIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the date it should have been made. UPSIC is the designated State Information Commission for Uttar Pradesh under Section 15 of the RTI Act. It has jurisdiction over all public authorities of the Uttar Pradesh state government, including UPPSC. The Central Information Commission (CIC) has no jurisdiction over UPPSC.

UPSIC has the authority to:

• Direct UPPSC to provide the information requested
• Impose a daily penalty of up to ₹250 (maximum ₹25,000) on the SPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act for unjustified delays, refusals, or giving false or misleading information
• Award compensation to the complainant where information was wrongly withheld or denied

Both the First Appeal and Second Appeal can be filed online through the UP RTI portal.

Specific Information You Can Ask For at Each Stage

Preliminary Examination

• Marks in each paper (Paper I and Paper II separately) and, if OMR-based, a certified copy of the OMR response sheet with the applied answer key
• The final answer key (post-objection resolution) for your paper series/set, including questions cancelled or modified and reasons
• Category-wise cut-off marks for shortlisting to the Main Examination
• Total candidates who appeared and total shortlisted for the Main, category-wise

Main (Written) Examination

• Subject-wise and paper-wise marks in the Main Examination
• Category-wise cut-off marks for shortlisting to the Interview/Personality Test
• Whether any normalization was applied to Main Examination marks — if yes, the methodology and the values of parameters applied to your papers
• Total candidates who appeared and total shortlisted for the interview, category-wise

Interview/Personality Test

• Your marks in the Interview/Personality Test
• Aggregate marks (written + interview combined) and the category-wise cut-off applied for the final merit list
• Composition or identifier of the interview board that assessed you
• Total candidates interviewed from your category and the number recommended for appointment

Merit List and Reservation Roster

• Your rank/position in the final category-wise merit list
• Total vacancies notified and filled (category-wise) for the recruitment
• The reservation roster applied for the above examination and notification
• Tie-breaking criteria applied where candidates had equal aggregate marks
• Whether a waiting list was prepared and, if yes, your position on it (if applicable)