Authority: Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
Order Date: June 22, 2026
Case Overview
The Appellate Authority, presided over by Ruchi Chojer, heard an appeal (No. 6902 of 2026) filed by an appellant named Rahul against the response of the CPIO, SEBI, Mumbai. The appellant had filed an RTI application, received by SEBI on May 02, 2026, seeking information regarding refunds in the matter of PACL Ltd. The CPIO responded on May 13, 2026, stating that the specific information sought was not available with SEBI. The appellant, dissatisfied with this response, filed a first appeal (Reg. No. SEBIH/A/P/26/0028), which was received by the Appellate Authority on May 26, 2026.
The Authority concurred with the CPIO's response, citing 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). The CIC had held that a CPIO cannot invent information if it is not in their possession. The Authority noted that the responsibility for the disposal of properties and repayment to investors in the PACL matter is entrusted to the Justice (Retd.) R. M. Lodha Committee. This committee was constituted pursuant to a February 2, 2016, order of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India. The respondent had also informed the appellant that details such as Public Notices, Press Releases, Status Reports, and FAQs pertaining to PACL Ltd. are available on SEBI's website.
Final Outcome
The appeal was dismissed. The Appellate Authority found no deficiency in the CPIO's response and concluded there was no need to interfere with the decision. The appellant was guided to the publicly available resources on SEBI's website for information on the PACL matter.
Topics: RTI Appeal, Investor Refunds, Regulatory Compliance