Description

RTI appeal regarding SEBI's Investor Awareness Programme expenditures and SMART Trainers process dismissed as information is available in public domain or not maintained in requested format.

Summary

The Appellate Authority dismissed Appeal No. 6566 of 2025 filed by Vinay Kumar Chahar under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The appellant sought information about SEBI’s expenditure on Investor Awareness Programmes (IAPs) for financial years 2020-21 to 2024-25, details of empanelment process for trainers, and status of SMART Trainers process. The appeal was dismissed as the information requested is either available in the public domain through SEBI’s website or not maintained by SEBI in the format requested.

Key Points

  • RTI application filed on August 24, 2025 seeking five categories of information
  • CPIO responded on September 09, 2025, directing appellant to publicly available sources
  • Appeal filed on September 19, 2025 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/E/25/00249)
  • Query 1: Total IAP expenditure for last 5 years - available in SEBI Annual Reports
  • Query 2: Year-wise breakup with agency details - not maintained in requested format
  • Query 3: Empanelment process details - available on SEBI Investor Website under “Partner with us” tab
  • Query 4 & 5: Questions deemed vague and not specific enough to constitute “information” under RTI Act
  • Appellate Authority cited precedents: Registrar of Companies vs. Dharmendra Kumar Garg and K Lall vs. M K Bagri (CIC/AT/A/2007/00112)

Regulatory Changes

No regulatory changes introduced. This is a procedural order related to an RTI appeal.

Compliance Requirements

No compliance requirements. This order clarifies that public authorities are not obligated to provide information already available in the public domain under the RTI Act.

Important Dates

  • August 24, 2025: RTI application filed
  • September 09, 2025: CPIO response provided
  • September 19, 2025: Appeal filed
  • October 10, 2025: Appellate Authority order date

Impact Assessment

This order has no direct market or operational impact. It is an administrative decision on an RTI appeal that reinforces existing principles that information available in public domain need not be separately provided under RTI Act. The order provides clarity on SEBI’s position regarding Investor Awareness Programme information disclosure and emphasizes that such data is accessible through SEBI’s annual reports and investor website. No changes to market operations, trading rules, or compliance obligations result from this order.

Impact Justification

Procedural RTI appeal order with no market impact or regulatory changes. Information sought is either publicly available or not maintained by SEBI.