THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A Right to Information (RTI) applicant who asked for three years’ admission data related to science undergraduate courses in colleges affiliated to Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University was in for a shock when the varsity demanded Rs 5,000, plus an unspecified search fee for admission data per college for each academic year.
Interestingly, other major state universities such as Kerala, Calicut and Kannur had provided the same data through RTI without levying such an exorbitant charge, said Prof K Sureshan, a senior faculty member of Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Thiruvananthapuram.
Suspecting an attempt by the MG University to deny information, Prof Sureshan has decided to approach the State Information Commission (SIC) against the varsity’s public information officer.
In his RTI query, he asked the varsity to provide the number of seats allotted, number of students enrolled and seats vacant in undergraduate courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, botany and zoology in various affiliated colleges for the last three years. In the reply, MG University said the data was not available in a codified form. Citing a university order dated April 27, 2023, the varsity said it would provide the data after levying the prescribed fees. “ The data regarding the UG admission/vacant seats of a college for one academic year is Rs 5,000 plus search fee,:” the reply said.
Varsity defends decision
When contacted, a senior official of MG University said collating the data asked for required a lot of clerical work and the University order stipulating the fees was mainly applicable for affiliated colleges that seek such information from the varsity. “Since the order stipulates the fees for a particular service, it applies to the information sought in the RTI query as well. Or else, the Syndicate will have to meet and decide on reducing the fees specifically for RTI-related services,” the official said.