Consider Uploading Cumulative Month Wise Data Of Cases Instituted & Disposed Of On HC Website: CIC To Delhi High Court

The Central Information Commission has asked the Delhi High Court to consider uploading cumulative month-wise data of cases instituted and disposed of on its website.

The Chief Information Commissioner Y. K. Sinha passed this order on an appeal filed by a law student, Ateet Bansal challenging the refusal of the Public Information Officer of the Delhi High Court to provide the total number of cases dismissed by the then Chief Justice of High Court D.N. Patel post joining as the Chief Justice till the latest date.

The HC's PIO said that statistical data regarding cases 'dismissed' in the High Court is not maintained separately. Aggrieved and dissatisfied, the Appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeal.

It was submitted by the appellant before the CIC that being a law student, it was of immense importance to him to have the data of pending and disposed cases of courts to analyze why and how there is a sudden increase and decrease in the number of cases.

On the other hand, the respondent-Delhi High Court submitted that the information sought in the RTI application was not available in the form in which it was requested by the Appellant.

However, the respondent did inform the CIC that a cumulated data of cases instituted and disposed of is available on their website. On being queried by the Commission if month-wise data of cases instituted and disposed of was available on their website, the Respondent replied in the negative.

In view of this, the Commission observed that an appropriate response as per the provisions of the RTI Act, 2005 had been provided by the Respondent as only such information that is held and available by a public authority can be provided as per the provisions of the Act.

In this regard, the Commission also referred to the observations made by the Supreme Court in the judgment of CBSE and Anr Vs Aditya Bandopadhyay and Ors 2011 (8) SCC 497 wherein it was observed that there is no obligation on the part of the CPIO to collate and compile records.

However, the Commission advised the PIO, High Court of Delhi u/s 25 (5) of the RTI Act, 2005 to consider uploading cumulative month-wise data of cases instituted and disposed of on its website for ease and convenience of all concerned.

With this, the instant Second Appeal was disposed of.

Title - Ateet Bansal v. PIO Delhi High Court

Click Here To Read/Download Order