COLLECTION OF INFORMATION UNDER RTI ACT

NOTE ON COLLECTING AND COMPILING OF INFORMATION UNDER RTI ACT 2005

DECISIONS OF CENTRAL INFORMATION COMMISSION:

Appeal No.CIC/WB/A/2007/01551 & 1552
Appellant - Shri P. Veerappan
Respondent - Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT)
Decided on 06-04-2009

This direction is defective on the ground that collection of information can in no account be constituted to amount to the creation of information.

[ Please also refer DoPT Office Memorandum dated 01-06-2009 appended at the end]
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Complaint No. CIC/WB/C/2007/00931
Appeal No.CIC/WB/A/2008/00886
Appellant - Mr. Muzibur Rahman
Respondent - Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
Decided on 28-08-2008
http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/WB-28082008-06.pdf

Appeal No.CIC/MA/A/2006/00653 refers to a public authority not being expected to “create and generate afresh information ” where none exists, “because it is sought by an appellant”. Where the information already exists and the issue is simply compiling it to provide an applicant, it is quite clearly the responsibility of the CPIO who is expected to collate the existing information and provide it to the applicant, in the form ordinarily to be provided in which it is sought.
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Appeal No. CIC/WB/A/2007/00522 dated 1-4-2007
Appellant: Shri B. Madhusoodhanan Nair, Ernakulam
Respondent: Indian Rare Earths Ltd., Mumbai
Decision dated 26-09-2008
http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/WB-26092008-03.pdf

Notwithstanding the above, however we are of the opinion after
discussing with CPIO that the information sought against question no. 4 of the RTI application will take not more than 2-3 days to compile since all that is required is 38 names together with their qualifications. Because appellant is facing difficulty in visiting the office of Indian Rare Earths Ltd. In order to inspect the files the CPIO has no objection to mailing this to him, which he has agreed to do.

CPIO Shri Sridharan will now compile and provide to appellant Shri
Madhusoodhanan Nair a summary of the list of candidates who applied against the said notification with their education qualification and experience and courier the same to him within 10 working days of the date of receipt of this decision notice.
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Appeal No. CIC/WB/A/2007/00999 dated 16-12-2006
Appellant: Shri Satya Narain Shukla, IAS (Rtd)
Respondent: Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
Decision dated 08-05-2008
http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/WB-08052008-02.pdf

Moreover, Section 7 (9) of the RTI Act clearly states that “an information should ordinarily be provided in the form in which it is sought1”. It is therefore, the duty of the CPIO to compile the information and provide it in the manner sought by appellant unless this would disproportionately divert the resources of the public authority or would be detrimental to the safety or preservation of the record in question.
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Complaint No.CIC/WB/C/2007/00345 dated 16.5.2007
Appellant - Sh. Karthik Jayashankar
Respondent - Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF)
Date of decision 18-02-2008
http://cic.gov.in/CIC-Orders/Decision_18022008_02.pdf

We agree with learned Counsel assisting appellant Ms. Lakshmi Jayashankar’s rejoinder quoted above that none of the grounds decided upon for denying information is valid. Under Rule 4 (a) of the RTI Act (Regulation of Fee & Cost Rules) 2005 which came into force on September 16, 2005 a fee is expected to be charged for each page “created or copied”, which indicates that all information held by or under the control of any public authority is accessible to the public as is covered by the ‘right to information’ defined in sec. 2(j), even when it needs to ‘collected’. This is, of course, subject to the exceptions laid down in sec. 7(1).
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DoPT OFFICE MEMORANDUM No. 10/2/2008-IR dated 01-06- 2009

www.rti.gov.in

“Attention is invited to clause (iii) of para 3 of this Department's OM of even number dated 12th June, 2008 on the above noted subject which, inter-alia, states as follows:

"It is beyond the scope of the Act for a public authority to create information. Collection of information, parts of which are available with different public authorities,
would amount to creation of information which a public authority under the Act is not required to do."

2. The Central Information Commission while deciding an appeal has observed that collection of information cannot amount to creation of information and desired that the above referred OM should be modified so as to avoid any confusion among public authorities.

3. The undersigned is directed to clarify that the OM dated 12.6.2008 does not propose to say that collection of information per se amounts to creation of information. The above referred statement has been made to emphasize that the public authority to whom the application is made is not required to collect information from different public authorities to supply it to the applicant.” [emphasis added]

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Compiled by J. P. Shah, Junagadh Gujarat 09924106490
03032010