Central Information Commission: In a recent case before the Commission, the appellant had appealed on the ground that information sought by him was not provided to him without any just and cogent reasons. The appellant had submitted his RTI application on a paper having the letter head of the NGO, National Human Rights Committee seeking information on 3 points relating to the details of losses incurred by the Railways from the year 2012 to 2016 and steps taken by the railways to overcome such loss.
Before the Commission, the CPIO contended that because the appellant had not filed the present RTI application in his individual capacity, it would not be worth answering while referring to the case of Inder Grover v. Ministry of Railways (CIC/OK/A/2006/00121 dated 27.06.2006). Observing this, the Commission said that in plethora of decisions by the Commission itself, it has been held that so long as the said RTI application is signed by an individual who is a citizen of India, then notwithstanding the capacity in which such application is filed, it shall be valid and cited many decisions stating the same.
Accordingly, Information Commissioner, Amitava Bhattacharyya said that appellant is entitled to the information sought for in the stated RTI application and can’t be denied the same merely because the application had the letter-head of the institution he is working in. The Commission directed the respondent CPIO to provide point wise reply complete in all respects to the appellant as available on record in the form of certified true copies of the documents sought and further directed to send a report containing the copy of the revised reply to the Commission as well for record. [Vinay Gupta v. DPG & CPIO, RTI Cell, Railway Board, CIC/MORLY/A/2017/129291, decided on 18.10.2017]
