Description

Appellate Authority order dismissing RTI appeal seeking information about SEBI's actions regarding Jane Street reporter incident and measures to prevent recurrence.

Summary

The SEBI Appellate Authority dismissed Appeal No. 6674 of 2026 filed by Murali Krishna P V against the denial of information under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The appellant had sought information regarding SEBI’s actions after a Jane Street reporter incident and measures to prevent recurrence. The Authority upheld the CPIO’s rejection, ruling that the queries were vague, non-specific, and hypothetical in nature, and therefore did not constitute ‘information’ under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act.

Key Points

  • RTI application filed on December 02, 2025 seeking information about SEBI’s response to Jane Street reporter incident
  • CPIO responded on December 29, 2025 denying the information request
  • Appeal filed on December 29, 2025 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/E/25/00342)
  • Appellant sought three categories of information: meeting proceedings, preventive steps, and refund proposals
  • Queries 1 and 2 rejected as vague and non-specific
  • Query 3 rejected as hypothetical and seeking clarification/opinion
  • Authority cited precedents from Central Information Commission supporting the denial

Regulatory Changes

No regulatory changes introduced. This is an administrative order on an RTI appeal.

Compliance Requirements

None. This order clarifies that RTI queries must be clear, specific, and relate to existing documented information rather than hypothetical scenarios or opinions.

Important Dates

  • December 02, 2025: RTI application filed
  • December 29, 2025: CPIO response issued
  • December 29, 2025: Appeal filed
  • January 19, 2026: Appellate Authority order issued

Impact Assessment

This order has no market or operational impact. It is a procedural ruling on RTI compliance that reinforces established principles that information requests must be specific, relate to existing records, and not seek opinions or hypothetical information. The order serves as guidance for future RTI applicants regarding the acceptable scope of information requests under the RTI Act.

Impact Justification

Administrative RTI appeal order with no market impact or regulatory changes; procedural matter involving denial of vague and hypothetical RTI queries