Section 12. Access to public records.

(1) All unclassified public records as are more than thirty years old and are transferred to the National Archives of India or the Archives of the Union territory may be, subject to such exceptions and restrictions as may be prescribed made available to any bona fide research scholar. Explanation.-- For the purposes of this sub-section, the period of thirty years shall be reckoned from the year of the opening of the public record. (2) Any records creating agency may grant to any person access to any public record in its custody in such manner and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed.