CBI is not completely outside RTI's ambit: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has ruled against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that had challenged an order passed by the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) in November 2019 prompting the organisation to reveal information regarding a probe pertaining to corruption charges in the Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre in AIIMS. “This is not a case where sensitive information has been collected by CBI and the disclosure of which would be prejudicial to the officers involved. This is also not a case where information is so sensitive that it cannot be shared with the public. The very purpose of the proviso is to permit information pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violations to be provided to the applicant,” the judgement stated. 

The court clarified that CBI is not completely exempt from the Right to Information (RTI) act. “A perusal of Section 24 shows that even though the name of the organisation (CBI) finds mention in the Second Schedule to RTI Act, it does not mean that the entire Act is not applicable to such organisations. The provision to Section 24 permits information pertaining to allegations of corruption and human rights violations to be made available to the applicant and the same cannot be included in the exception provided to organisations mentioned in the Second Schedule of RTI Act,” judge Subramonium Prasad observed.