The First Appellate Authority of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) disposed of an RTI appeal filed against the response of the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) regarding a complaint allegedly submitted against an Insolvency Professional Entity. The appellant had sought information relating to the status of the complaint, copies of file notings and correspondence, details of action taken, applicable regulations, investigation status, and refund of Rs. 2,500 allegedly paid with Form A. The CPIO had stated that no complaint in Form A and no payment of Rs. 2,500 had been received by the Board. Upon examination of records, the First Appellate Authority found that although no Form A complaint had been received, grievances filed by the appellant through the CPGRAMS portal were pending consideration before the Board. The concerned division was directed to expedite examination of those grievances. The Authority also found that the appellant had paid Rs. 2,500 to the Board and directed immediate refund of the amount in accordance with Regulation 7(8) of the IBBI (Grievance and Complaint Handling Procedure) Regulations, 2017.
BEFORE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND FIRST APPELLATE AUTHORITY
INSOLVENCY AND BANKRUPTCY BOARD OF INDIA
7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market,
Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001
Dated: 12th June 2026
Order under section 19 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act) in respect of RTI Appeal Registration No. ISBBI/A/E/26/00023
IN THE MATTER OF
Sitaraman Ravi
Vs.
Central Public Information Officer
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market,
Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001
1. The Appellant has filed the present Appeal dated 6th June 2026, challenging the communication of the Respondent, filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act).
2. In his RTI application dated 20.04.2026, the Appellant had stated as follows: –
“I am an applicant under the Right to Information Act, 2005 seeking information regarding my complaint filed before IBBI. Details of Complaint: Date of filing: 18-03-2024 submission along with prescribed fee of Rs. 2,500 under Form A Subject: Complaint against Insolvency Professional Entity, TruPro Insolvency Services, LLP Information sought: 1. Current status of my complaint filed on 18-03-2024. 2. Copies of all file noting, internal correspondence, and movement of my complaint file. 3. Certified copy of the order/decision/action taken on my complaint, if already disposed of. 4. Rules, regulations, circulars, or guidelines under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 relied upon while disposing of or examining my complaint. 5. Whether any investigation or disciplinary action was initiated against the concerned IPE. If yes, provide details. 6. Status of refund of Rs. 2,500 paid along with Form A, if the complaint has been closed without redressal. 7. Application fee Rs.10/- being paid with online application. Certified copies of all documents may kindly be provided. I hereby declare that I am a citizen of India. The prescribed application fee is paid. Kindly provide the information within the time limit prescribed under the Act. Yours faithfully,
Sitaraman Ravi”
The CPIO has replied that the Board has not received any complaint through Form – A. Moreover, the CPIO replied that the amount of 2,500/- has not been received by the Board. Aggrieved with the reply, the Appellant has filed the instant Appeal stating that the reply of the CPIO is factually incorrect and contrary to the documentary evidence as possessed by the Appellant.
3. I have carefully examined the application, the responses of the Respondent and the impugned Appeal. In terms of section 2(f) of the RTI Act ‘information’ means “any material in any form, including records, documents, memos e-mails, opinions, advices, press releases, circulars, orders, logbooks, contracts, reports, papers, samples, models, data material held in any electronic form and information relating to any private body which can be accessed by a public authority under any other law for the time being in force.” It is pertinent to mention here that the Appellant’s “right to information’ flows from section 3 of the RTI Act and the said right is subject to the provisions of the Act. Section 2(j) of the RTI Act defines the “right to information” in term of information accessible under the Act which is held by or is under the control of a public authority. Thus, if the public authority holds any information in the form of data, statistics, abstracts, etc. an applicant can have access to the same under the RTI Act subject to exemptions under section 8.
4. It is pertinent to note that the Board has not received any complaint from the Appellant in Form–A. However, upon examination of the records, it is observed that the Board is in receipt of grievances lodged by the Appellant through the CPGRAMS portal bearing reference nos. DCOYA/E/2024/0001711 and DCOYA/E/2024/0001711 against TruPro Insolvency LLP IPE, acting as the Resolution Professional in the matter of Amar Prakaash Developers Private Limited. The said matter is presently under consideration before the Board. Accordingly, the concerned Division of the Board is directed to expedite the examination and adjudication of the aforesaid grievance. Further, it has come to the notice of the Board that an amount of Rs. 2,500/- was paid by the Appellant to the Board (Punjab National Bank vide reference no. 0128002100302250 dated 18.03.2024). In view of regulation 7(8) of the IBBI (Grievance and Complaint Handling Procedure) Regulations, 2017, the Board is directed to refund the said amount of Rs. 2,500/- to the Appellant forthwith.
5. The Appeal is, accordingly, disposed of.
Sd/-
(Kulwant Singh)
First Appellate Authority
Copy to:
1. Appellant, Sitaraman Ravi
2. CPIO, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, 7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market, Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001.
