Primary sources · Order
Appeal No. 7059 of 2026 filed by Keshav Goyal
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Appeal No. 7059 of 2026
BEFORE THE APPELLATE AUTHORITY
(Under the Right to Information Act, 2005)
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA
Appeal No. 7059 of 2026
Keshav Goyal : Appellant
Vs
CPIO, SEBI, Mumbai : Respondent
ORDER
The appellant had filed an application dated August 12, 2026 (received by SEBI through RTI MIS portal) under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (“RTI Act”). The respondent, by a letter dated August 17, 2026, responded to the application filed by the appellant. The appellant filed an appeal dated August 24, 2026 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/E/26/00324). I have perused the application, the response of the respondent and the appeal and find that the matter can be decided based on the material available on record.
The appellant has filed appeal only with respect to response of the respondent to query no. 6 in the application.
Query no. 6 in the application- The appellant, vide query no. 6 in his application, sought the following information: “6. Kindly provide a copy of the SEBI Grade A 2025 Phase II question paper for the General Stream including Paper 1 and Paper 2 subject to the provisions of the RTI Act 2005”
Reply of the Respondent – The respondent, in response to the above query, informed that the online examination for recruitment of SEBI Grade A Officer is conducted by Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) within the terms of MoU as per which only IBPS is in possession of copies of question paper, which is not shared with SEBI. Hence, the same is not available with SEBI.
Appeal No. 7059 of 2026
Ground of appeal – The appellant has filed the appeal on the ground that he was provided incomplete, misleading or false information.
I have perused the query and the response provided thereto. On consideration, I note that the respondent has informed that as per MOU, only IBPS is in possession of copies of question papers, and the same is not shared with SEBI. I note that the respondent can only provide information that is available in the records. In this context, reliance is placed on the decision of Hon’ble Central Information Commission (CIC) in the matter of Lakshminarayanan R vs. SEBI (order dated February 09, 2023), wherein it was observed that “It is an established law that the information sought for in order to be disclosable under the RTI Act, 2005 must be existent and available in the records……… In the instant case, the desired information was not available in the records of the respondent
authority ....” Accordingly, I do not find any deficiency in the response of the respondent.
I note that the appellant, in his appeal, has sought copy of his evaluated answer sheet/response sheet. Hence, I find that the appellant is seeking further information in his appeal. As held by the Hon’ble CIC in Harish Prasad Divedi vs. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (decided on January 28, 2014), an information seeker cannot be allowed to expand the scope of his RTI enquiry at appeal stage. Accordingly, I find that the said submissions do not warrant consideration at this stage.
In view of the above observations, I find that there is no need to interfere with the decision of the respondent. The appeal is accordingly dismissed.
Place: Mumbai RUCHI CHOJER
Date: September 17, 2026 APPELLATE AUTHORITY UNDER THE RTI ACT
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE BOARD OF INDIA