Summary: The First Appellate Authority of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI), by order dated 12 June 2026, disposed of three RTI appeals seeking detailed data regarding corporate debtors that had undergone resolution or liquidation, including claims submitted, admitted, and paid to secured financial creditors, unsecured financial creditors, and operational creditors. The appellant had requested that the information be compiled in a specific tabular format. The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) responded that relevant information was already available through IBBI’s Quarterly Newsletters and other sections of its official website. Upholding the CPIO’s response, the Appellate Authority held that under Sections 2(f) and 2(j) of the RTI Act, applicants are entitled only to information held by or under the control of a public authority. Since the requested data existed in the public domain, the CPIO was not obligated to collate, compile, or present the information in the particular format sought by the appellant.
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/26/00020, ISBBI/A/E/26/00021, ISBBI/A/E/26/00022
IN THE MATTER OF
Anil Bhargava
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 Appeals dated 27th May 2026, challenging the communication of the Respondent, filed under the Right to Information Act (RTI Act). Since the Appeals pertain to identical subject matter, same is disposed of vide common order.
2. In his RTI applications dated 30.03.2026, The Appellant had requested for the following information,
“I want to know the data of Corporate Debtors which have been resolved and how amy are liquidated with The Claim amounts requested, claim amount passed, claim amount paid, for Secured and Unsecured Financial Creditors as well as the Operational creditors. To simplify the work and data needed, I am attaching a table in whcih the data may please be filled and sent to me.”
The CPIO has replied that the information can be accessed from the Quarterly Newsletter of the IBBI at https://ibbi.gov.in/publication . Aggrieved with the reply, the Appellant has filed the instant Appeal stating that the breakup of amount claimed and admitted for operational creditors is omitted in the Quarterly Newsletter.
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 information concerning the claims admitted and realised by different classes of creditors in the insolvency resolution process or other processes under the Code have been compiled and marshalled under different heads in the Quarterly Newsletter at https://ibbi.gov.in/publication. Moreover, the status of any specific corporate debtor (including claims) is hosted by IBBI on its website at https://ibbi.gov.in/claims/corporate-personals. Furthermore, the summary of outcomes of different processes vis a vis liquidation and resolution is also available on the website of IBBI at https://ibbi.gov.in/claims/cd-summary. Since the information as “held by or under the control of any public authority” under Section 2(j) of the RTI Act is available in public domain, the CPIO is not obligated to compile, collate and present the information in a specific format, as sought by the Appellant.
5. The Appeal is, accordingly, disposed of.
Sd/-
(Kulwant Singh)
First Appellate Authority
Copy to:
1. Appellant, Anil Bhargava
2. CPIO, The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India, 7th Floor, Mayur Bhawan, Shankar Market, Connaught Circus, New Delhi -110001.
