Now Reading: Gujarat High Court bars third party with RTI applicant inspecting records
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Gujarat High Court bars third party with RTI applicant inspecting records
Gujarat High Court bars third party with RTI applicant inspecting records
The Gujarat High Court has ruled that an RTI applicant who is not fluent in the language of the records to be inspected cannot bring a third person to assist them. The…
The Story in Brief
The Gujarat High Court has ruled that an RTI applicant who is not fluent in the language of the records to be inspected cannot bring a third person to assist them. The court said allowing a third party to accompany the applicant would effectively mean sharing information with that person, which is not permitted under the Right to Information Act.
The court permitted the applicant to inspect the records alone but denied the request for a companion. The observation came in a petition where the applicant sought to inspect documents but was not conversant with the language.
The Indian Opinion
The Gujarat High Court's ruling seems strict, but it correctly upholds RTI as a personal right. Third parties could misuse access to information. Yet for applicants genuinely needing language help, this creates a barrier. The court's interpretation leaves no room for flexibility. A clearer guideline from the Central Information Commission could balance transparency and privacy. The key test: will this ruling discourage genuine applicants who lack language skills, or prevent misuse? The number of such appeals filed will tell.
Source: livelaw.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
