Authority: Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India
Order Date: August 05, 2026
Case Overview
The appeal was filed by Sailesh Choraria against the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of SEBI, Mumbai. The dispute originated from an RTI application dated June 23, 2026, in which the appellant sought two specific pieces of information: 1) A copy of any exemption certificate provided to KFin Technologies Ltd that allows it to not follow SEBI rules and regulations outlined in master circulars concerning requests for duplicate share certificates, transmission, etc., and 2) The reason, as per available records, for providing such a certificate to a particular registrar. The CPIO, in a response dated July 09, 2026, declined to provide the information, stating that the queries were in the nature of seeking a clarification or opinion and thus did not constitute 'information' as defined under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act. The appellant filed an appeal on July 11, 2026 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/E/26/00252), contesting that the response provided was incomplete, misleading, or false.
The Appellate Authority examined the application, the CPIO's response, and the appeal. It concurred with the CPIO's assessment, ruling that the appellant's queries were indeed solicitations for clarification or opinion. The authority emphasized that the RTI Act does not obligate a CPIO to create, interpret, or compile information to suit an applicant's desire. It reinforced this decision by citing a precedent from the Central Information Commission (CIC) in the matter of Azad Singh vs. CPIO, Oriental Insurance Company Limited (order dated March 23, 2021).
Final Outcome
The appeal was dismissed. The Appellate Authority found no deficiency in the CPIO's original response and concluded there was no need to interfere with the decision. The order upholds that SEBI is not required to provide the requested clarification or opinion under the provisions of the RTI Act.
Topics: RTI Process, SEBI Compliance, Registrar Regulation