Court ruled that cooperative societies registered under Tamil Nadu Cooperative Societies Act, 1983 aren't 'public authorities' under section 2(h) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2005.
About RTI Act, 2005
- Sets out practical regime for citizens to access information under the control of public authorities to promote transparency and accountability.
- Right to Information is implicit in the right to freedom of speech and expression explicitly guaranteed in Article 19 of Indian Constitution. [State of UP vs. Raj Narain Case (1975)]
- Key provisions of the Act include time limit for providing information, suo motu disclosure of certain categories of information, appointment of Public Information Officers (PIOs), Central and State Information Commissions, etc.
- Section 8 of the Act exempts certain categories of information from disclosure.
Public Authorities under RTI Act, 2005
- Public Authority (PA): It includes government bodies, state-controlled entities, and NGOs substantially financed directly or indirectly by central or state governments.
- Supreme Court in 2019 held that Office of the Chief Justice of India is a PA.
- Duties of PAs
- Maintain all its records duly catalogued and indexed.
- Must proactively disclose information regularly.
- Designate PIOs who are responsible to give information to a person who seeks information under the RTI Act.
Exemptions under Section 8 of the RTI Act
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