Internal deliberations of judges not to be disclosed under RTI : HC
23 Jun, 2013A civil case was instituted by R.M.Subramanian of Pudukottai on a property dispute against the district revenue administration before a civil court in Thirumayam. Though the sub-ordinate court had passed an order against the administration, no criminal proceedings could be initiated against the authorities for non-execution of its order. The matter was referred to the Madurai Bench of Madras High Court which decided that it was not a fit case for initiating contempt proceedings against the officials.
Meanwhile, the application of Mr Subramanian filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking the copies of minutes recorded by Chief Justice and the High Court Judge in charge of the district was declined after which he filed an appeal before the Tamil Nadu State Information Commission (TNSIC). The TNSIC advised the appellant to obtain the copies by filing an application in the High Court.
However, the Registrar General (RG) of the High Court filed a writ petition challenging the SIC decision. After the hearing of the petition, the division bench of Madras High Court ruled that notes, jottings, administrative letters, internal deliberation and discussions on the administrative side of the High Court cannot be made public as it would interfere with the discharge of the High Court’s role as an independent authority under the Constitution of India.