Disclosure of the bank accounts details of the deceased parents under RTI

Background

The appellant was one of the legal heirs of his deceased parents and alleged that the bank had been favoring other heirs by transferring the outstanding amounts to their accounts. In this regard he sought information regarding the bank account of his deceased parents. The Public Information Officer (PIO) and First Appellate Authority (FAA) supplied some of the information. The respondent submitted that all the available information had been provided. The rest of the information was denied because it was related to the accounts of the applicant’s brother and sister-in-law.

View of CIC

The Central Information Commission (CIC) observed that the matter was that of some dispute among the legal heirs over the ownership of the property and bank accounts of the deceased parents. The appellant being a legal heir has every right to know about the complete details of the accounts held in the name of his deceased parents. The Commission directed the PIO to invite the appellant and show him every single detail available about all the documents relating to the accounts of his deceased parents including the statement of accounts and records.

Citation:  Shri Dharmpal Sharma v. Haryana Gramin Bank in File No. CIC/SM/A/2011/000862 & 899