RTI Plea On PM’s Foreign Visits Placed Before CIC

An  RTI plea seeking details of expenditure incurred on the Prime Minister’s foreign visits was placed before Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) Radha Krishna Mathur on Tuesday to decide whether a disclosure would have bearings on the security and sovereignty of the nation. The CPIOs of both Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of External Affairs were directed be present at the hearing...

RTI Reveals RBI Recommended Note Ban Hours Before PM’s Announcement; Plea For Minutes Rejected

The pre-demonetisation consultation process has been shrouded in secrecy, much to the angst of opposition and experts. However, recently the RBI has revealed certain details regarding the consultation process preceding note ban and clarified that its recommendation came hours before Prime Minister Modi’s announcement. An RTI plea, on the hand,...

Info Relating To SBI’s Loan To Adani Group Need Not Be Disclosed :CIC [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission (CIC) disposed of an appeal of Shri Ramesh Ranchordas Joshi from Mumbai seeking information from the State Bank of India (Mumbai) regarding the basis of giving huge loans to Gautam Adani Group along with the evidence that the loan was connected to the coal mines of Australia.The CPIO informed Ramesh Ranchordas...

CIC Directs Indian Army To Release Details Of Probe Into Macchil, Pathribal Killings [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Indian Army to provide a copy of documents regarding the findings of the Court Martial in the matter of the conviction of five Army personnel for killings committed at Macchil, J&K, in 2010, and proceedings of Court of Inquiry in the matter of killing of five persons in Pathribal,...

Whistle Blowers Must Be Given Adequate Safeguards Against Victimisation: CIC [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission (CIC) in Samrat Sharma, Roorkee v. PIO, Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University, Srinagar, has held that no person or a public servant who has made a disclosure under the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014, can be victimised by initiation of any proceedings against him or otherwise merely on the ground that...

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...

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...