Bombay HC Clarifies RTI Act Applicability to Public Trusts Receiving State Grants

People Welfare Society Vs State Information Commissioner (Bombay High Court) Background: The question before the Full Bench of the High Court of Judicature at Bombay, Nagpur Bench, involved determining the obligations of a public trust registered under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act 1950, which operates an institution receiving state grants, under the Right to Information Act 2005 (RTI Act). The bench comprised Justices Avinash G. Gharote, Anil S. Kilor, and Urmila Joshi-Phalke, and the verdict was delivered on March 1, 2024. Crux of the Issue:   Central to the debate was whether public t...