The First Appellate Authority of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) disposed of an RTI appeal filed under Section 19 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, concerning information sought regarding a complaint against a registered valuer involved in the CIRP of Tuljabhavani Cold Storage Pvt. Ltd. The appellant had requested copies of the IBBI’s findings, records of proceedings, the valuer’s reply with supporting documents, and related papers. Upon examining the matter, the Appellate Authority noted that the RTI application, filed on 15 May 2026, had not been disposed of by the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) within the statutory period of 30 days prescribed under Section 7 of the RTI Act. The Authority observed that public authorities must adhere to the timelines prescribed under the Act and urged the CPIO to remain sensitive to statutory obligations. The CPIO was directed to dispose of the pending RTI application expeditiously, and the appeal was accordingly disposed of.
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: 30th 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/26/00025
IN THE MATTER OF
Dhananjay Krishnanath Gaikwad
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 15th June 2026, challenging the communication of the Respondent, filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act).
2. In the impugned RTI Application, the Appellant had stated as follows: –
‘Referring to the letter Dt. 13th JAN, 2026 sent to Sh. Dhananjay Gaekwad by ICSI IIP PLEASE shared the following: 1. Copy BBI finding on on receipt of the communication from Dhananjay Gaekwad against IBBI Reg Valuator who done valuation of Tuljabhavani Cold Storage Pvt Ltd in CIRP Process. 2. Copy of the entire papers of proceedings on record with IBBI regarding COMPLAINT FIT F.D BY Dhananjay Gaekwad against IBBI Reg Valuator who done valuation of Tuljabhavani Cold Storage Pvt Ltd in CIRP Process. 3. Reply filed by Valuators on Complaint with supportive documents Valuator submitted in support of valuation they done of Tuljabhavani Cold Storage Pvt Ltd.. 4. Copy of papaers with ICSI IIP as they ask for any documents from Complainant with regarding Complaint filed against Valuators.”
3. I have carefully examined the applications, the responses of the Respondent and the Appeals and find that the matter can be decided based on the material available on record. 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 “light 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 “light 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, an applicant can have access to the same under the RTI Act subject to exemptions under section 8.
4. In this regard, I note that the Appellant had filed the RTI application on 15th May 2026, which has not been disposed of by the CPIO till date. The deadline to dispose of the impugned RTI Application expired on 14th June 2026. Thus, the CPIO has failed to dispose of the impugned application within the timeline of thirty days as enshrined under Section 7 of the RTI Act. Being CPIO of Public Authority like IBBI, the Respondent should be sensitive to timelines and disposal of information request. I would, therefore, encourage and urge the Respondent to consider the requirements of law while dealing with information requests under the RTI Act and dispose of RTI applications within the prescribed time. Accordingly, the CPIO is directed to dispose of the impugned RTI application expeditiously.
5. The Appeal is, accordingly, disposed of.
Sd/-
(Kulwant Singh)
First Appellate Authority
Copy to:
1. Appellant, Dhananjay Krishnanath Gaikwad
2. CPIO, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, 7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market, Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001
