Disclosure of financial information necessary for legal proceedings outweighs personal privacy concerns under the RTI Act.

Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka नई िद(cid:24)ी, New Delhi – 110067 File No: CIC/UIICL/A/2024/609249 Archana Sinha .….अपीलकता(cid:18)/Appellant VERSUS बनाम CPIO, United India insurance Co Ltd, Regional Office, Krishi Bhavan, 5th Floor, Nrupathunga Road, Hudson Circle, Bengaluru – 560001 ….(cid:29)ितवादीगण /Respondent Date of Hearing : 04.08.2025 Date of Decision : 22.08.2025 INFORMATION COMMISSIONER : Vinod Kumar Tiwari Relevant facts emerging from appeal:

RTI application filed on : 16.11.2023 CPIO replied on : 19.12.2023 First appeal filed on : 11.01.2024 First Appellate Authority’s order : 21.02.2024 2nd Appeal/Complaint dated : 01.03.2024 Information sought:

1. The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 16.11.2023 (offline) seeking the following information:

“I Mrs Archana Sinha Prakash w/o Mr Manav Prakash (Employee No- 50100), RO Bangalore, a citizen & resident of India, C/o Dr Anuradha Sinha C-55, Nigahi NCL, Distt-Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh 486884 request you to kindly provide information regarding my husband's financial status, salary details, property details as this is required for my maintenance case which is pending under Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur High Court u/s 5 & 4(1)(b)(x) of the RTI Act. As per rules, is not a third party information for a wife/ spouse who is going through a maintenance case for sustainance, given as a right to all the aggrieved wives as per CIC & RTI.

I have enclosed the first page of the certified copy of the maintenance case under MP Jabalpur High Court with the registration No-545/2018, Filing No-551/2018 CNR No- MP 20020014472018, & a copy of my identity proof of your department's health mediclaim policy, indicating UHID No- 1418000003608902 spouse of employee no-50100 valid from

01/04/18 for your reference.

Kindly furnish the required information:-

1- Please provide Salary details/ slips indicating gross pay, deductions House rent/ lease amount details, his eligibility of the house rent lease/

allowance as all the details of earnings, arrears, per his designation.

2- Please provide his ITR details & income tax assessment/calculations from the period of 01/04/2018 to the current period & month of all the financial years & months mentioned above.

3- Please provide the above mentioned salary details from the period of

01/04/2018 till the current month.

4- Please provide the information in what capacity he is working for the department I request you to provide me the required necessary details for the maintenance case going on in the land of court.”

2. The CPIO furnished a reply to the Appellant on 19.12.2023 stating as under:

“The information sought by you is personal in nature and pertains to Mr. Manav Prakash. We had written to him regarding this and he has clearly objected to sharing of any personal information pertaining to him. Under the circumstances this information cannot be given as it falls under exemption of Sec 8(1)(j) of RTI Act, 2005 which reads as follows:

"Information which relates to personal information the disclosure of which has no relationship to any public activity or interest or which would cause unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual unless the CPIO/Appellate Authority is satisfied that large public interest justifies disclosure of the information."”

3. Being dissatisfied, the appellant filed a First Appeal dated 11.01.2024.

The FAA vide its order dated 21.02.2024, upheld the reply of CPIO.

4. Feeling aggrieved and dissatisfied, appellant approached the Commission with the instant Second Appeal.

5. A written submission dated Nil filed by the Respondent reiterating their stand for denial of information after receipt of objection from the