The Madhya Pradesh High Court has held that if information about the salary of a public servant is sought under the Right to Information Act, it cannot be denied or withheld. This is because the salary of a public servant is public information said the HC.
MM Sharma, the petitioner, had sought details about the salaries paid to two employees of the Chhindwara forest circle. However, the concerned public information officer refused to share the information saying the RTI did not permit sharing of private information to a third party.
He maintained that on seeking consent from the concerned employees to reveal the information, he had received no response, and therefore, the information could not be disclosed. When Sharma appealed to the state information commission, his appeal was dismissed.
His counsel’s argument was that wages of public servants is public information, and whenever sought under Section 4 of the RTI, 2005, the same has to be shared or revealed. It is not private information to be kept confidential from a third party.
The order of the public information officer and the state information commission was quashed. It was ordered that the petitioner be provided the information within a month.
As per the RTI Foundation of India, the salary of a public servant is paid from the tax money that comes from the general public, and the salary scale is also determined by the public authority as part of a transparent exercise by pay revision commissions. Approval of the government, which represents the people is also sought. Therefore, any related information is definitely public information that should be accessible by the public under the RTI Act
