Should the rate list of the Kendriya Bhandar be disclosed?
22 Jan, 2012Background
The Appellant sought the copy of the monthly rate list for institutional sale. The PIO denied the information on the ground that the disclosure would adversely affect their competitiveness and hence, the information was exempt under Section 8(1) (d) of the RTI Act. The Appellate Authority endorsed the decision of the PIO.
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The Appellant stated that while such an argument could be accepted in respect of the current rate list, the information he had sought being seven years old, should not cause any harm to the commercial and competitive interests of the organisation. The Commission noted that the desired information is about seven years old and directed for disclosure of information. The Commission held that the disclosure of information after a lapse of a reasonable time would promote transparency since both the respondent organisations as well as its institutional purchasers are both government agencies. The Kendriya Bhandar was adviced by the Commission to come out with a policy regarding the disclosure of such information and fix a reasonable time limit.
Citation: Shri R P Singh v. Kendriya Bhandar in file no. CIC/SM/A/2011/000541
RTI Citation : RTIFI/2012/CIC/30
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