PM’s Foreign Visits: CIC Seeks File To Decide If Disclosure Of Details Can Compromise India’s Security [Read Order]

Acting on an RTI query seeking details of the Prime Minister’s foreign trips, the Central Information Commissioner has observed that without due examination of the file, it cannot be decided that whether the sought information contains security-related information.Information Commissioner Radha Krishna Mathur has directed the CPIO, PMO, that one representative file be produced before...

RTI In Peril : An Open Letter To Maharashtra CM By Former CIC Shailesh Gandhi

To,Shri Devendra FadnavisChief Minister of Maharashtra.Sub.: RTI Act and Information Commission being rendered dysfunctionalDear Sir,Maharashtra is probably the leader in the nation amongst States in RTI applications. We also have the dubious distinction of having the largest number of RTI users murdered. I might mention that nearly half the RTI...

Constitutional Club Of India Is A ‘Public Authority’ Under RTI Act: CIC [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has declared the Constitutional Club of India (CCI) as a “public authority” under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act.Central Information Commissioners M Sridhar Acharyulu and Sudhir Bhargava observed that there is an indirect funding of the government to the CCI and, therefore, it has to supply the...

Maharashtra Information Commission Orders Immediate Review & Release Of Bhupendra Vira’s RTI Pleas

In the wake of RTI activist Bhupendra Vira’s gruesome murder, former information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi’s letter addressed to Chief Information Commissioner of Maharashtra Ratnakar Gaikwad has been accepted and registered as a complaint under section 18 of the RTI Act.The Commission has directed the authorities to carry out immediate review...

CIC Raps UGC For Not Disclosing Course Details Sought As Genuine Academic Queries [Read Order]

The CIC held that the UGC being an academic regulatory has statutory duty to inform/educate the people about the courses/degrees and their validity. It was agreed by the CIC that any conclusion without reading the enactments of the RTI and UGC together would lead to undue denial that amounts to abdication of UGC’s duty to inform, which was...

Public Authorities/State Must Compensate Victims For Extra-Detention As It Violates Right To Life: CIC [Read Order]

The state/public authority cannot drive poor convicts to the courts of law. “The state is expected to give people-friendly administration. The jail authorities cannot breach the rights of prisoners and refuse any remedy,” the commission said. The Central Information Commission (CIC) through Information Commissioner M. Sridhar Acharyulu in O.P....

PIO Of Hyderabad EFLU Fined For Denying Information On Admission [Read Order]

The Central Information Commissioner (CIC) has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the Public Information Officer (PIO) of the English & Foreign Language University (EFLU), Hyderabad, for denial of information sought under the RTI Act. The commission also warned the public authority of the university to deal with RTI issues only through the PIO...

Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) not a public authority under RTI Act: Calcutta HC [Read Judgment]

The Calcutta High Court, in Dinesh Sinha vs. CISCE, has held that the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) does not come within the purview of a public authority under Section 2(h) of the Right to Information Act.The CISCE is a private, non-governmental board of school education in India and holds the Indian Certificate of...

When will Rs 15 Lakh be deposited in every Indian’s account, PMO told to respond [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Prime Minister’s Office to respond to queries made by a common man regarding the election promise of bringing back black money and depositing Rs 15 lakh in every Indian’s account, among other issues, within 15 days.At the time of election, it was announced that black money will be brought...

Public authority not bound to collect and furnish information which is not required to be maintained by it: CIC [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission has observed that a Public Authority has no obligation upon to collect/collate information which is not required by its law, rules or regulations to be maintained by it.In the instant case, an RTI application was filed before the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), Rajya Sabha Secretariat seeking...

Delay in public disclosure of GM Mustard crop trial data unjustifiable: CIC [Read Order]

The Environment Ministry on its failure to reveal Bio Safety data on GM Mustard Trials, earned the ire of Central Information Commission. The CIC directed the authorities to make available all necessary details without any further delay. It upheld that such delays thwart public discourse on matters of urgent public importance amounting to violation...

Prevent fraudulent/forced Marriages and Protect genuine lovers from caste/religious bodies: CIC to Govt [Read Order]

The unremitting tiff between tradition and personal liberty has often led to excesses resulting in abuse of law emanating from both the sides. The Central Information Commission in an RTI Appeal has dealt with this issue and has tipped in favour of the rule of law. With the rising scourge against love marriages and diktat’s of the kangaroo courts,...