How can the orders passed by the Gujarat High Court be challenged before the Supreme Court? If the appellant does not have access to internet, the PIO should offer a hard copy against payment of fee.
18 Jul, 2013Comments of the CIC
2. We heard the Respondents.
3. The Appellant had wanted to know about how one can challenge the orders passed by the Gujarat High Court before the Supreme Court in certain matters. The CPIO had advised him to go through the Handbook published by the Supreme Court in its website to find out the procedure to be adopted in such cases. Not satisfied with the reply of the CPIO, he had preferred an appeal stating that, being from the rural areas of the State of Gujarat, he had no access to Internet and, therefore, the information should be provided to him as desired. The Appellate Authority had dismissed his appeal by holding that the information could not be provided to him since it was publicly available.
4. We have carefully considered the facts of the case. All that the Appellant has wanted to know is how he should go about approaching the Supreme Court if he wanted to challenge the High Court order. The CPIO has already referred him to go through the Handbook published by the Supreme Court for this purpose which is freely available in the Supreme Court website. This book can also be found in any reasonable bookshop. We understand that this publication is available only in English language.
5. Since the Appellant does not have the facility to access the website of the Supreme Court, the CPIO may offer a copy of this book to him against payment. We direct the CPIO to write to the Appellant within 10 working days of receiving this order offering the Handbook against payment of its cost and if the Appellant deposits the cost, to send the book to him soon thereafter.
6. The appeal is disposed off accordingly.
7. Copies of this order be given free of cost to the parties.
(Satyananda Mishra)
Chief Information Commissioner
Citation: Sh. Jaisinghbai B Rathod v. Supreme Court of India in F. No. CIC/SM/A/2013/000093