The High Court of Manipur on August 12, 2026 dismissed an appeal by the Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC), upholding candidates’ right to inspect their evaluated answer scripts from the Manipur Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (MCSCCE) 2016 (2016/2022). A division bench of Chief Justice M. Sundar and Justice A. Bimol Singh affirmed an earlier single-judge order and directions issued by the Manipur Information Commission (MIC).
The dispute began in 2023 when the MIC directed the MPSC to permit three applicants, who had filed requests under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, to physically inspect their evaluated answer scripts from the MCSCCE 2016 main examination. The MPSC had resisted that direction, citing its internal policy decisions of May 4 and October 28, 2020, which restrict the issuance of certified copies of descriptive answer scripts.
A single bench led by Justice A. Guneshwar Sharma earlier ruled that those policy decisions did not bar candidates from physically perusing their evaluated scripts. The MPSC then appealed to the division bench. During the hearing, the commission argued that allowing access to evaluated scripts could compromise examination confidentiality and relied on Supreme Court precedents, including UPSC v. Angesh Kumar and Prashant Ramesh Chakkarwar v. UPSC, to support its stance.
The applicants told the court that although their original RTI requests sought certified copies of the answer scripts, they were prepared to accept inspection of the evaluated papers as an alternative remedy. The Manipur Information Commission backed the inspection order, saying it would enhance transparency and fairness while protecting the integrity of the examination process.
By dismissing the MPSC’s appeal, the High Court has affirmed candidates’ right to inspect their evaluated answer scripts while leaving intact the commission’s policy limiting the issuance of certified copies. The judgment balances demands for transparency with institutional concerns about maintaining examination confidentiality.
Original Source: https://nenow.in/north-east-news/manipur/manipur-high-court-upholds-candidates-right-to-inspect-mcscce-2016-evaluated-answer-scripts.html
Category: Manipur,Northeast News,Top News
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Publish Date: 2026-08-16 23:27:00
