Description

SEBI appellate authority dismisses RTI appeal filed by Nitin Goradia challenging CPIO's response to interrogative queries about SEBI employee conduct.

Summary

SEBI’s Appellate Authority dismissed RTI Appeal No. 6459 of 2025 filed by Nitin Goradia against the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO). The appellant had sought answers to interrogative queries about SEBI employee conduct, which the CPIO correctly identified as seeking clarification/opinion rather than “information” as defined under the RTI Act. The appellate authority upheld the CPIO’s response, noting that RTI applications cannot be used to seek clarifications or opinions on presumptive queries.

Key Points

  • Appeal filed by Nitin Goradia on June 27, 2025 against CPIO’s response dated June 27, 2025
  • Original RTI application dated June 17, 2025 contained interrogative queries about SEBI employee conduct
  • CPIO correctly identified queries as seeking clarification/opinion, not “information” under RTI Act Section 2(f)
  • Appellate authority cited Central Information Commission precedent (Laxman Prasad Kayal vs. CPIO, State Bank of India)
  • Appellant had previously filed 6 similar RTI applications, all dismissed for lack of deficiency in CPIO responses
  • Pattern of grievance-based applications rather than genuine information seeking identified

Regulatory Changes

No regulatory changes introduced. This is a procedural ruling on RTI application handling.

Compliance Requirements

  • RTI applications must seek “information” as defined under Section 2(f) of RTI Act, not clarifications or opinions
  • CPIOs should identify and appropriately respond to applications seeking clarifications rather than information
  • Interrogative queries and presumptive allegations do not constitute valid RTI requests

Important Dates

  • RTI Application filed: June 17, 2025
  • CPIO Response: June 27, 2025
  • Appeal filed: June 27, 2025
  • Appeal dismissed: July 2025 (order date)

Impact Assessment

This ruling has no direct market impact as it addresses administrative procedures for RTI applications. It establishes precedent for handling interrogative queries and clarifies that RTI mechanism cannot be used for seeking opinions or clarifications about employee conduct. The dismissal reinforces proper application of RTI Act provisions and may deter frivolous or grievance-based RTI applications.

Impact Justification

Administrative RTI appeal with no market impact or regulatory changes affecting trading or compliance requirements