Upload Impugned Lower Court Orders Corresponding To Judgments On The Madras HC Website: CIC Recommends [Read Order]

The Central Information Commission has recommended Madras High Court to upload impugned orders of lower courts and tribunals corresponding to the judgments available on its website.

Information Commissioner Mr. R.K. Mathur observed that uploading the impugned orders would “help the general public, litigants and all other stake holders in linking the Hon'ble High Court's orders/judgments with the impugned orders and thereby serve a larger public interest.”

The Commission was hearing an Appeal filed by one Mr. R.K. Jain, submitting that several orders of the High Court and details of impugned orders had not been uploaded on the website.

Mr. Jain had contended that Section 4 of the RTI Act requires public authorities to disclose details of impugned orders. He further averred that such authorities need to upload the class of information and not post orders in a “pick and choose” manner.

Opposing the plea, the High Court officials had submitted that judicial records are not required to be uploaded on the website under the suo-motu disclosure mandated by Section 4 of the Act. The officials had further contended that a direction for collating the required information would amount to disproportionate diversion of resources of the public authority.

The Commission, however, refused to accept such contentions, and ruled in favor of the Appellant. It further observed that the Rules of High Court of Madras, Appellate Side, 1965 do not come into picture, as Mr. Jain was not demanding certified copies of the impugned orders.

“The Commission recommends that the details of the impugned order of the lower Courts/Tribunal etc may be made available on the website of the Hon’ble High Court in order to help the general public, litigants and all other stake holders in linking the Hon’ble High Court's orders/judgments with the impugned orders,” it thereafter observed.