CIC Opens 4-Year Gandhi Smriti Fund and Spending Records for Inspection

New Delhi: The Central Information Commission (CIC) has allowed an RTI applicant to inspect four years of “voluminous” financial records of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti after he sought details of funds received from the Ministry of Culture, expenditure incurred and audit reports.

The applicant had sought details of funds provided by the ministry to the samiti during the four years, year-wise and item-wise details of expenditure, and certified copies of its audit reports.

The person alleged that the information provided was incomplete, false and misleading.

The First Appellate Authority (FAA) subsequently directed the CPIO to provide the information, holding that it could not be denied as third-party information since it was not personal.

During the CIC hearing, the CPIO said the samiti provided a revised reply in compliance with the FAA’s order.

He said the relevant annual accounts are already available in the public domain and that the applicant was offered an inspection of records since it was voluminous.

The applicant did not avail the opportunity, the CPIO said. Information Commissioner P R Ramesh observed that since the information is already in the public domain, the CPIO can tell the applicant how it could be accessed.

“Where information is already available in the public domain, the CPIO may appropriately intimate the applicant about the manner in which such information can be accessed,” the commissioner said.

Where records are voluminous, the applicant may be allowed to inspect them and identify the specific documents or pages for which copies are required, he said.

The commission found that the CPIO had provided the available information and indicated the mode of accessing the remaining records.

It held that the reply furnished by the CPIO and the action taken in compliance with the FAA’s order were “in order”.

However, in the interest of transparency and effective access to information, the CIC gave the applicant four weeks to approach the respondent office to inspect the records.

The CIC said that the copies of documents sought during the inspection be provided free of cost up to 20 pages, while prescribed fees may be charged for additional pages.

The CPIO was also allowed to withhold or redact third-party information or other material exempt from disclosure under Section 8 of the RTI Act, read with Section 10, while facilitating inspection and providing copies.