Information about total exports of Indian Rare Earth Limited

Background

The appellant sought information about total cargo such as Ilmenite, Synthetic Rutile exported by from the year 2005 to till date along with the details of load port, destination port and name and address of the buyers. The Public Information Officer (PIO) stated that information cannot be disclosed as per the section 8(1) (d) of the RTI act. The PIO also replied that information regarding name and address of destination port are of commercial confidence and the disclosure could harm the commercial interest of the public authority. The FAA directed to give details of load port and stevedores.

View of CIC

The Respondent stated that there is competition in the sales of the Ilmenite and there are private sector suppliers who are also competing with the Public Sector Unit Indian Rare Earths Ltd. The appellant argued that there is a larger public interest in disclosure of information and claims that Public has right to know all information held by Public Authorities. After considering both the arguments, the Commission rejected the appeal holding that the PIO’s claim for exemption under Section 8(1) (d) of the RTI Act is valid and the competitive interest of the Public Authority would be affected by disclosing the information.

Citation: Mr. Rama Chandra Panda v. Indian Rare Earths Ltd. Dept of Atomic Energy in file no. CIC/SG/A/2011/003618