The Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed an order of Central Information Commission (CIC) asking National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to provide copies of its inspection reports about cooperative banks of various states to an information seeker under the transparency law.
bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi stayed the operation of CIC’s order asking NABARD to reveal inspection reports from 2005 till date to the applicant under the Right to Information Act keeping in view its earlier similar order in which it has provided same relief to RBI.
Apart from inspection reports of various cooperative banks, the information seeker Kishan Lal Mittal has also sought copies of correspondence with Maharashtra government, RBI or any other agency regarding Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank.
Earlier, the Public Information Officer (PIO) had refused to provide information on the ground that under section 8 (1) (a) of the RTI Act, disclosure of such reports would adversely affect the economic interests of the state.
In appeal, the Information Commissioner directed the bank to provide the copies of the inspection reports before 10 December 2011.
The court listed the matter for further hearing on February 13, 2012.
The High Court had on November 30, stayed the CIC order asking RBI to provide copies of its inspection reports about a bank to an information seeker under the transparency law.
The court had stayed the operation of CIC’s order asking Reserve Bank of India to reveal inspection reports of Makarpura Industrial Estate Cooperative Bank Ltd under the Right to Information Act.