Times
of India: Mumbai: Saturday, 25 April 2015.
The
income tax department on Friday submitted through its counsel that the law laid
down by the Supreme Court makes it clear that IT returns are personal
information that cannot be disclosed on an RTI query.
The
IT counsel was making submissions to oppose a petition that challenged an order
of the Central Information Commission refusing a plea under the Right to
Information Act for details of the IT returns of NCP leader and former state
minister Ajit Pawar. "In case of public officials there should be a
relationship between disclosure sought and discharge of duty of that public
official," the counsel said.
He
said no such relationship was shown despite the repeated submission that
information which can not be denied to Parliament can not be denied under RTI.
The
petition, filed by former information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi and argued
by his lawyer, Jabbar Shaikh, said such information is not personal and can not
hide behind exemptions in the act.