के (cid:574)ीय सूचना आयोग Central Information Commission बाबा गंगनाथ माग(cid:330), मुिनरका

Baba Gangnath Marg, Munirka नई िद(cid:671)ी, New Delhi – 110067 File No: CIC/CCITP/A/2024/626922 Manda Siddharth Tamgadge .….अपीलकता(cid:330)/Appellant VERSUS बनाम CPIO, Office of the Income Tax Officer, Ward 1, Parrmar Complex, Bafna Road, Nanded - 431601 ….(cid:366)ितवादीगण /Respondent Date of Hearing : 05.02.2026 Date of Decision : 20.02.2026 INFORMATION COMMISSIONER : Vinod Kumar Tiwari Relevant facts emerging from appeal:

RTI application filed on : 23.10.2023 CPIO replied on : 01.11.2023 First appeal filed on : 03.11.2023 First Appellate Authority’s order : 28.11.2023 2nd Appeal/Complaint dated : 24.06.2024 Information sought:

1. The Appellant filed an RTI application dated 23.10.2023 (online) seeking the following information:

“1. I want to know the Income Tax Returns of last consecutive 5 years filled by my legal husband Mr. Siddharth Kashinath Tamgadge.

2. I want to know the last 5 salary slips of Mr. Siddharth Kashinath Tamgadge.

3. I want to know the interest certificate from post office and bank.

4. I want to know Tax saving investment proofs that Mr. Siddharth Kashinath Tamgadge have provided.

5. I want to know health insurance premium reports he provided.

6. I want to know capital gain he provided while filling ITR.

7. Please send photocopies of all the documents that I have asked above via Speed Post.

8. I want to know the details of Bank Statements if he provided any.

Name Siddharth Kashinath Tamgadge Aadhaar no. 6260759xxxxx PAN no. ADJPTxxxxx”

2. The CPIO furnished a point-wise reply to the Appellant on 01.11.2023 stating as under:

“In this regard, it is informed that the requested information cannot be provided to the applicant as the information asked for by him regarding Return of income of third parties is personal in nature and is exempt from disclosure as per the provisions of section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005. For the sake of convenience, the provision of section 8(1)(j) is provided below-

"8. Exemption from disclosure of information-

1. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act, there shall be no obligation to give any citizen, (j) 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 Central Public Information or the State Public Information Officer of the appellate authority, as the case may be, is satisfied that the larger public interest justifies the disclosure of such information;.."

In this regard, attention of the Appellant is also drawn towards a judgment of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in the matter of Central Public Information Officer, Supreme Court of India Vs. Subhash Chandra Agarwal in Civil Appeal No. 1004 of 2010 with Civil Appeal No. 10045 of 2010 and Civil Appeal No. 2683 of 2010 wherein the import of "personal information" envisaged under section 8(1)(j) of RTI Act has been exemplified in the context of earlier ratios laid down by the same Court in the matters of Canara Bank Vs. C.S. Shyam in Civil Appeal No. 22 of 2009; Girish Ramchandra Deshpande Vs. Central Information Commissioner & Ors. (2013) 1 SCC 212 and R.K. Jain Vs. Union of India & Anr., (2013) 14 SCC 794. The following was thus held:-

"59. Reading of the aforesaid judicial precedents, in our opinion, would indicate that personal records, including name, address, physical. mental, and psychological status, marks obtained, grades and answer sheets, are all treated as personal information. Similarly, professional records, including qualification, performance, evaluation reports, ACRS, disciplinary proceedings, etc. are all personal information. Medical records, treatment, choice of medicine, list of hospitals and doctors visited, findings recorded, including that of the family members. information relating to assets, liabilities, income tax returns details of in