The Central Information Commission has directed the Bar Council of India to proactively post on its website the question papers and keys of the All India CIC Bar Examination for the benefit of young lawyers.
The examination introduced in the year 2010 is conducted by a private firm Rainmaker.
The Commission directed the Bar Council of India to procure question papers and keys for the examination conducted during first three years and post them on their website under proactive disclosure clause of the Right to Information Act.
The case relates to an RTI applicant who sought question papers and keys for the first three examinations. BCI said the firm Rainmaker had not provided them with these.
"It is reported that around 27000 young advocates could not clear this qualifying examination. Every year law universities and law departments of other universities will be rolling out thousands of young law graduates, who are expected to take this mandatory examination," Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said.
The Commission observed that it was not proper on the part of Bar Council of India to not provide the copies of AIBE I-III question papers on the excuse that they were not handed over by Rainmaker.
He said it is the bounden duty of the Bar Council of India to make all the previous question papers available to young lawyers.
If the firm which conducted tests has not handed over the copies of examination papers, the Bar Council of India should have initiated legal action to recover them, he said.
"The Commission requires the Public Authority to collect the copy of question papers with key for first three years from the Rainmaker firm which conducted examination, and keep the same on official website for the use of young lawyers," Acharyulu said.
He asked the Bar Council of India to provide question papers along with the key on the official website immediately after completion of every Examination, which will avoid exploitation of young lawyers by commercial elements selling the question papers with key at exorbitant rates.
