Q. Consider the following statements:
1. The Chief Justice of India (CJI) is a public authority under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
2. The Supreme Court collegium’s meetings do not come under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Exp) Option c is the correct answer.
Statement 1 is correct. The Office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) is declared as a ‘public authority’ under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by a five-judge Constitution Bench in a 2019 judgement. The Court also held that the personal information of judges should only be divulged under RTI if such disclosure served the larger public interest. The disclosure of personal information was discretionary under the RTI Act. The statute has given the discretion to the Public Information Officer (PIO).
Statement 2 is correct. The Supreme Court collegium’s meetings do not come under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. The Supreme Court has refused to divulge information under RTI about the collegium’s confidential communications to protect the independence of the judiciary.
