Information relating to a retired Army officer was denied claiming that there are over 70000 pensioners & with just the name, the individual officer cannot be identified - CIC: transfer the RTI to DG Resettlement with directions to provide the information
7 Sep, 2014FACTS
Vide RTI dt 6.5.13, appellant had sought information on 3 points relating to a retired Army officer representing M/s Zordot Earth Movers Pvt Ltd.
2. CPIO vide letter dt 30.5.13, observed that the information sought is exempt u/s 8(1)(j) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information: Provided that the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person. .
3. An appeal was filed on 18.6.13.
4. AA vide order dt 7.8.13, upheld the decision of the CPIO.
5. Submissions made by the appellant and public authority were heard. Appellant questioned the denial of information u/s 8(1)(j) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest, or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the Central Public Information Officer or the State Public Information Officer or the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information: Provided that the information which cannot be denied to the Parliament or a State Legislature shall not be denied to any person. of the RTI Act. CPIO submitted that there are over 70000 pensioners and just with the name, they are not in a position to identify the individual officers. Appellant clarified that these officers have been sponsored by the DG Resettlement to the Western Coalfields, Nagpur for their work in Makardhokda.
DECISION
6. The Commission directs CPIO transfer the RTI to the DG Resettlement with directions to provide the information to the appellant within thirty days. The appeal is disposed of.
(Rajiv Mathur)
Chief Information Commissioner
Citation: Shri Subhash Grover v. MoD (Army) in File No.CIC/RM/A/2014/000218