Case Details

The entity involved is an individual appellant, Vikram Singh. The case is an appeal under the Right to Information Act, 2005, registered as Appeal No. 6885 of 2026 before the Appellate Authority of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). The order was issued on June 09, 2026, by Appellate Authority Ruchi Chojer. The original RTI application was filed on April 10, 2026, and was responded to by the SEBI CPIO on May 13, 2026. The appeal was filed on May 16, 2026 (Registration No. SEBIH/A/E/26/00182). There is no financial impact, penalty, or settlement amount mentioned in this order, as it pertains solely to the denial of an information request.

Persons Involved

  • Appellant: Vikram Singh
  • Respondent: CPIO, SEBI, Mumbai
  • Appellate Authority: Ruchi Chojer, Appellate Authority under the RTI Act, Securities and Exchange Board of India
  • The order also references the Justice (Retd.) R. M. Lodha Committee, which is chaired by Hon'ble Mr. Justice R.M. Lodha, former Chief Justice of India.

Violations and Allegations

This is not a case alleging violations by a regulated entity. It is an appeal against the response to an RTI application. The appellant's ground for appeal was that he was provided "incomplete, misleading or false information" by the SEBI CPIO in response to his queries regarding PACL Ltd.

Penalties, Settlement Terms & Rulings

There are no penalties or settlement terms. The key ruling is the dismissal of the appeal. The Appellate Authority found no deficiency in the CPIO's response and ruled that there was no need to interfere with the decision. The Authority declined the appellant's request to transfer the application to another public authority under section 6(3) of the RTI Act.

Actions, Compliance, and Future Obligations

No corrective actions, future obligations, or compliance measures are mandated for either party by this order. The matter is closed with the dismissal of the appeal.

Final Ruling and Enforcement

The final ruling is that the appeal is dismissed. The Appellate Authority upheld the CPIO's response that the requested information concerning specific land allotment details for PACL Certificate No. U199140471 is not available with SEBI. The Authority supported this decision by citing two precedents:

1. The Hon'ble Central Information Commission (CIC) in Sh. Pattipati Rama Murthy vs. CPIO, SEBI (Decision dated July 8, 2013), which held that a CPIO cannot invent information if it is not in their possession.

2. The Hon'ble CIC in M Shanmugam v CPIO, Pearls Agrotech Corporation Ltd. & Or. (Decision dated March 14, 2024), which accepted that the Justice Lodha Committee is not a public authority under section 2(h) of the RTI Act, thus negating the appellant's request for a transfer of his application to the Committee.

The order is final and requires no further enforcement action.