Sat May 17 14:55:29 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The State Information Commission in India has ruled that courts are not exempt from the Right to Information (RTI) Act, clarifying that only judicial proceedings, and matters under consideration by judicial officers, are excluded from disclosure. The ruling came after a complaint was filed against an Information Officer in the Munsiff Court of Chalakudy who denied information requested under the RTI Act, citing Rule 12 as justification. The commission has initiated action against the officer for denying the information, emphasizing that citizens are entitled to all other non-judicial information from the courts.

**News Article:**

**Indian Information Commission: Courts Not Exempt from RTI Act**

*THIRUVANANTHAPURAM – May 17, 2025* – The State Information Commission has issued a landmark ruling, clarifying that Indian courts are subject to the Right to Information (RTI) Act and cannot broadly deny information requests. The decision emphasizes that only judicial proceedings and matters actively under judicial consideration are exempt from disclosure under the act.

The ruling stems from a complaint filed by Joseph Jacob against an Information Officer, Ajith Kumar, at the Munsiff Court in Chalakudy. Kumar had previously denied Jacob’s RTI requests for copies of auction documents, citing Rule 12 governing subordinate courts as justification for non-disclosure.

State Information Commissioner A. Abdul Hakkim stated that court officials cannot deny all information sought under the RTI Act. He highlighted that while judicial proceedings are excluded, citizens are entitled to access other information held by the courts. The Commission noted the increasing trend of transparency in higher courts, such as the Supreme Court, telecasting court proceedings, making the denial of basic information by lower courts even more problematic.

After the complaint was filed, the court’s new Information Officer provided the requested information to Jacob. However, the commission proceeded with action against the initial officer, Ajith Kumar, under Section 20(1) of the RTI Act. Kumar has been directed to appear before the commission on May 28th to answer for his actions.

This ruling reinforces the importance of transparency in all levels of the Indian judiciary, ensuring citizens have the right to access non-judicial information from the courts.

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