Saturday, April 25, 2015

IT department against RTI disclosure of Ajit Pawar’s returns details

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.