The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) to provide students with certified copies of answersheets under the Right to Information Act.

Justice S Ravindra Bhat dismissed contentions raised by the institute that answersheets fell beyond the purview of the RTI, holding that students were well within their rights to access them.

ICAI is an institute. You should apply pragmatism and set examples for others. You should start by yourself... Many institutes do that and allow students to inspect their copies, Justice Bhat told the ICAI, which had challenged a Central Information Commission verdict to provide certified copies of papers to students who failed the exams.

Additional Solicitor General Parag Tripathi, appearing for ICAI, submitted that the Supreme Court in its order of 2007 rejected the candidates right to demand answersheets.