In 2010, the then public information officer of the Calcutta high court claimed that the Right to Information Act, 2005 did not apply to the court. This was because Calcutta HC had been established not by the central or state governments of India, but by “Her Majesty the Queen of England, under Letters Patent at the time of Queen Victoria”.
Therefore, it was argued that technically, the high court could not be seen as a “public authority” under the RTI Act. Although the argument was rightly rejected, the incident should not be dismissed as a curious anecdote from the oldest high court in India. It is indicative of a deep-rooted affinity for colonial trappings across the judiciary.
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