Authority: Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India
Order Date: July 31, 2026
Case Overview
This order pertains to an appeal (No. 6960 of 2026) filed by Gobi Krishnan against the response provided by the Chief Public Information Officer (CPIO) of SEBI, Mumbai, under the Right to Information Act, 2005. The appellant had filed an RTI application on June 06, 2026, seeking information on actions taken regarding three petitions he had submitted via email to the SEBI Chairman on specific dates: May 09, 2026; May 26, 2026; and May 23, 2026. The CPIO responded on July 03, 2026, stating that for queries 1 and 2 (emails dated May 09 and May 26), the emails were forwarded to the concerned departments. For query 3 (email dated May 23), the response indicated the email was forwarded and the matter was closed. The appellant filed an appeal on July 05, 2026 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/E/26/00244), contending that the information provided was incomplete, misleading, or false. He further sought proof to validate the information provided.
The Appellate Authority, after perusing the application, response, and appeal, found that the CPIO had adequately addressed the queries based on available information. The authority cited precedent from the Hon'ble Central Information Commission in Harish Prasad Divedi vs. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (January 28, 2014) and the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi in Hansi Rawat and Anr. v. Punjab National Bank and Ors. (LPA No.785/2012, dated January 11, 2013), noting that an appellant cannot expand the scope of an RTI enquiry at the appeal stage and that RTI proceedings cannot be used to adjudicate the correctness of information provided.
Final Outcome
The appeal was dismissed. The Appellate Authority found no deficiency in the CPIO's response and no grounds to interfere with the decision. The matter is closed.
Topics: RTI Appeal, Regulatory Compliance