Authority: Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India

Order Date: June 22, 2026

Case Overview

The appellant, Krishan Kumar Mehta, filed an application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 on March 16, 2026 (received by SEBI on March 27, 2026). The application sought detailed information pertaining to investments in PACL Ltd, specifically regarding two PACL certificate numbers (U119009xxx and U03810xxxxx) and two land plots identified as Khasra No. 919, Plot No. 51 and Khasra No. 971, Plot No. 67, located in Village Vanndu, Tehsil Thuraiyur, District Trichy, Tamilnadu. The appellant requested certified copies of the certificates, documents establishing his rights to the properties, confirmation of current possession, clarification on his right to possess or sell the properties, status of payment and ownership rights, and details of sale deeds from 2000 to 2026.

The CPIO, SEBI, Mumbai, responded on April 08, 2026, stating that the information sought was not available with SEBI. The respondent directed the appellant to information already in the public domain on SEBI's website, including details of PACL Matters, Public Notices, Press Releases, Status Reports, and FAQs.

Dissatisfied with this response, the appellant filed an appeal dated May 13, 2026 (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/P/26/00074), which was received by the Appellate Authority on May 25, 2026.

The Appellate Authority, perusing the record, found no deficiency in the CPIO's response. It concurred that SEBI does not possess the specific information requested and cited a precedent from the Hon'ble Central Information Commission (CIC) in the matter of Sh. Pattipati Rama Murthy vs. CPIO, SEBI (Decision dated July 8, 2013), which stated that a CPIO cannot invent information if it is not in their possession.

The Authority further noted that the responsibility for the disposal of PACL's properties and repayment to investors lies with the Justice (Retd.) R. M. Lodha Committee. This committee was constituted pursuant to an order dated February 2, 2016, of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.

Final Outcome

The appeal was dismissed. The Appellate Authority found no reason to interfere with the decision of the CPIO, SEBI. The appellant was guided to the public domain resources on SEBI's website for general updates on the PACL matter.

Topics: RTI Appeal, PACL Ltd