‘Don’t reveal details of RTI applicants’, Delhi government officials told

NEW DELHI: The departments and autonomous bodies of the Delhi government have been directed to upload applications received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and their replies on their websites voluntarily without disclosing the details of the applicants.

The directions were issued recently by the administrative reforms (AF) department of the state government after it was observed that the government offices have been putting personal information of individuals in the public domain.

As per the RTI Act, the public authorities — government departments and agencies — need to disclose RTI applications or appeals and their responses on respective websites.

“The instructions from the Central government’s department of personal training (DoPT) are very clear regarding disclosing personal details of the applicants or information seeker. The names and other details of the applicants should not be disclosed, as this doesn’t serve any purpose of public interest. Referring to the instructions of the DoPT, the AF department has asked state government departments and local bodies to strictly follow the rules,” said a government official.  

Following the directions, the departments and agencies have swung into action and are issuing directions to their concerned officials and public information officers (PIOs) to comply with the instruction.

“Last week, the nodal officer has sent a letter to all PIOs to put RTI applications and their replies on the website according to the provisions of the Act,” said an official of the women and child development department of the Delhi government.

In February, The Morning Standard had reported that some of the Delhi government departments had been flouting the rules and disclosing the details of RTI applicants on their official website after a law student and activist Aniket Gaurav flagged the issue.

Gaurav claimed that the portals of the Tihar Jail and Delhi Jal Board had uploaded the replies of applicants with their personal details such as their name, designation, address, e-mail id and mobile number.