RTI Act does not require compilation of the information

Background

The appellant filed two separate but identical applications to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Department of Personnel & Training  (DoPT) seeking a variety of information regarding the appointments made on the basis of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2007. The Public Information Officer (PIO) of both the departments (UPSC & DOPT) provided all the information as available with them. Dissatisfied with the reply the appellant filed the second appeal.

View of CIC

The Central Information Commission observed that all the information as available with both the departments was provided. However, the information which was denied such as the number of candidates with marks between 1222 and 1210, claiming relaxation in age, number of attempts or services seniority etc. would require compilation, as this information was not maintained in a compiled form and thus cannot be determined without scrutinizing the individual cases. The Commission directed the PIOs of both the departments to invite the appellant and show him the relevant records for inspection so that he can find out for himself the various micro details about the appointments.

Comments

In many cases, it is seen that the PIO ends up spending a lot of time and energy in compiling information merely to satisfy the applicant. This is beyond the mandate of the RTI Act.

Citation: Shri Jai Prakash Narayan v. UPSC and DoPT in File No. CIC/SM/A/2011/000752 & 753