The Delhi High Court has clarified that personal financial information cannot be accessed through the Right to Information framework in the context of a marital dispute. In a recent ruling, the court held that a man’s income tax details are private in nature and cannot be disclosed to his estranged wife under the RTI Act.
The decision came while hearing a petition challenging an earlier order by the Central Information Commission, which had directed the disclosure of the petitioner’s net taxable income over several years. The case arose from an ongoing dispute in which the wife sought access to the information to support her maintenance claim.
Court draws line on ‘personal information’
According to The Hindu, Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav ruled that income tax returns fall squarely within the category of personal information protected under the RTI Act. The law, the court noted, bars disclosure of such data unless it serves a clear and overriding public interest.
In this case, the court found no such justification. It emphasised that the RTI Act is designed to ensure transparency in public authorities, not to enable access to private details of individuals in personal disputes.
The judgment also cautioned against stretching the definition of “larger public interest” in a way that could lead to misuse of the law.
Alternative legal remedies remain
While denying access under RTI, the court pointed out that the wife is not without options. It referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Rajnesh v. Neha, which requires both parties in maintenance proceedings to disclose their financial status through affidavits before the relevant court.
This mechanism, the High Court observed, ensures that necessary financial information is available within the proper legal framework without compromising privacy protections.
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CIC order set aside
The court ultimately set aside the CIC’s earlier direction, calling it legally unsustainable. The ruling reinforces the principle that the right to information must be balanced against an individual’s right to privacy, especially in matters that do not involve public accountability.
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The judgement is likely to have wider implications for similar cases where RTI is invoked in personal disputes, reaffirming that not all information can be accessed under the transparency law.
