Difficulty In Collating Information No Ground To Deny Information Under RTI Act: Delhi High Court

The Delhi High Court has established a critical precedent for transparency, ruling that the difficulty of collating information is never a valid ground for denying requests under the Right to Information Act. The court emphasized that public authorities cannot evade their obligations by claiming data is dispersed or voluminous. This decision reinforces the legislative intent of ensuring government accountability, preventing state entities from using administrative convenience as a pretext to withhold information from citizens. This legal stance is particularly significant for open data initiatives, as it mandates that agencies must actively aggregate disparate records rather than refusing access based on logistical challenges. By clarifying that the existence of scattered but retrievable data does not justify secrecy, the judgment compels governments to improve their data consolidation practices. It signals that citizens have a right to comprehensive information, and authorities must make genuine efforts to compile it, thereby reducing opacity in public administration. Ultimately, this ruling strengthens the framework for open data by demanding structural efforts to unify information sources. It underscores that transparency is a fundamental right, not a discretionary privilege contingent on how easily records can be accessed. For open data advocates, this confirms that the burden lies with the state to organize and provide data, ensuring that fragmented information systems do not obstruct the public’s right to know.

Source: livelaw.in
Published on 2024-05-10

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