Service records, promotion letters and details of monetary benefits of employees are considered sensitive personal information that cannot be revealed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, said the Delhi High Court.
This was stated as a response to a writ petition by Ryan International School challenging the Central Information Commission’s (CIC) order demanding that the school reveal the service details of its employees, reports The New Indian Express.
The court maintained that there was no proof that such sensitive information was required for the larger good of the community, and that demanding such a disclosure was unjustifed. This information was demanded by the CIC, which had sought the intervention of the Directorate of Education for the same.
A single judge bench of the Delhi High Court comprising Justice Sanjeev Narula ruled that the CIC failed to consider the fact that the information was personal to the employees.
The RTI seeking the information was submitted by Anuj Kumar Sharma to the Directorate of Education (DoE), which was then forwarded to the school via CIC. Ryan International School argued that information sought was protected under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act.
Justice Narula highlighted that details pertaining to the finances and performance of employees tantamount to personal information that should not be disclosed unless there is a larger good of the public involved.
