JUDGMENT :

MURALI PURUSHOTHAMAN, J.

1. Since common issues arise for consideration in these writ petitions, they were heard together and are disposed of by this common judgment. The petitioner in W.P. (C) No. 18529/2022 is referred to as ‘applicant’ in this judgment for the sake of convenience. The documents are relied on as they appear in W.P. (C) No. 19962/2022.

2. The applicant is a government employee and the office bearer of a service organisation. He made Ext.P2 application dated 24.5.2021 under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (for short ‘the Act’) before the Public Information Officer, Office of the Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala requesting for a copy of the report submitted by the committee appointed by the Government to review Contributory Pension Scheme. The application was received by the State Public Information Officer, General Administration (Strictly Confidential) Department [for short ‘SPIO, GAD (SC)’] on 27.05.2021. The SPIO, GAD (SC) transferred the said application to the State Public Information Officer of the Finance Department [SPIO, (FD)] in terms of section 6(3) of Act with intimation to the applicant, since the matter was concerning the Finance Depar