In a ruling that is bound to have ramifications, specially on big tax-payers , and in a move aimed at curbing tax evasion, the Central Information Commission has ruled that seeking information on income tax is not invasion of privacy. Ruling out that disclosure of information would lead to unwarranted invasion of the privacy of the individual

After politicians and judges of the Supreme Court, now the assets of babus have also been prised open to public scrutiny by RTI. In a landmark order, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has said that disclosure of information such as assets of a public servant, routinely collected by the public authority, should be made available to the public under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

The commerce ministry has proposed measures to make it easier for developers to exit special economic zones (SEZs) that have been struggling with a contraction in global demand for goods produced at the tax-free enclaves. Specific provisions for the de-notification of SEZs have been been put up for public comments till Thursday, after which they would be formally notified.

A public prosecutor representing the state in criminal cases need not divulge details of the legal opinion given to the government as it is privileged communication, the Madras High Court has ruled. In a similar case Supreme Court said that a judge could not be asked under the Right to Information (RTI) Act as to how and why he came to a particular conclusion in a judgment.

Can a judge be asked under the Right to Information (RTI) Act as to why and how he came to a particular conclusion in a judgment? No, says the Supreme Court. The apex court saw the mischief potential of queries under the RTI Act in relation to a judge and his judgments and a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice B S Chauhan firmly said that a judge speaks through his judgments and he could not be made to answer questions relating to his verdict in a case.

The Applicant, an informer of the department, filed a RTI application seeking inspection & copies of all records available with the income tax department including assessment orders of Escorts Ltd, Dr. Naresh Trehan and connected parties. The application was rejected by the PIO on the ground that there was no overriding public interest in disclosing the information relating to third parties and the disclosure would lead to an invasion of privacy of the assessees. On appeal by the applicant, HELD allowing the appeal:

It has been made clear that such information cannot be sought directly from the private business groups but from a government department which holds it.

The Union government is contemplating a bunch of amendments to its flagship Right to Information (RTI) Act to stop ‘mischievous and frivolous’ queries through the right that is aimed at bringing more transparency in government services.The proposed set of amendments would also try to bring a part of the security establishment under the public scrutiny.

Bringing relief to the working class of the country facing an unprecedented price rise, the government has decided to hike the minimum wages to Rs 100 from existing Rs 80 per day. “The decision to hike minimum wages to Rs 100 per day would be implemented with retrospective effect from November 1, 2009,” a Labour Ministry source told.

It is common knowledge that public information officers often do not furnish the information sought by the applicant under Right to Information Act (RTI). Is an appeal to the appellate authority of the Information Commission the only remedy? Or would failure to furnish information without valid reason constitute a deficiency in service for which compensation can be sought by filing a consumer complaint? This issue has been decided by the National Commission in a trendsetting judgment.