Central Information Commission
Appeal No.CIC/PB/A/2008/01154-SM dated 27.06.08
Right to Information Act-2005-Under Section (19)
Dated: 19 August 2009
Name of the Appellant : Shri Rafiq Ahmed Ramjani Ansari
M/s. Roshan Bakery, Opp. Syndicate
Bank, Near Hatkeshwar Circle,
Hatkeshwar, Ahmedabad
Name of the Public Authority : CPIO, State Bank of India,
Local Head Office,
9th Floor, Lal Darwaja,
Ahmedabad
The Appellant was present in person.
On behalf of the Respondent, Shri Ravichandran, CPIO, was present.
2. In this case, the Appellant had, in his application dated April 21,
2008, requested the CPIO for a number of information regarding a loan
sanctioned to Punam G Gadhvi in the name of M/s Sonal Furniture. The CPIO
replied on June 6, 2008 and denied the information as exempt from
disclosure under Section 8(1)(e) and (j) of the Right to Information (RTI)
Act. Not satisfied with the reply of the CPIO, the Appellant filed an appeal
before the first Appellate Authority on May 30, 2008. The Appellate
Authority decided this case in his order dated June 25, 2008 in which he
endorsed the decision of the CPIO to decline the information. It is against
this order that the Appellant has come before the CIC in second appeal.
3. We heard the case through videoconferencing. Both the parties were
present in the Ahmedabad studio of the NIC. It is a fact that the Appellant
had sought to know various details about the loan account of a third-party
customer which was rightly denied by the CPIO being in the nature of
commercial confidence. Such information is exempt from disclosure under
Section 8( I) (d) of the Right to Information (RTI) Act except in cases where
CIC/PB/A/2008/01154-SM
such disclosure would serve a larger public interest. It is not the case here.
Nevertheless, without compromising the commercial confidence inherent in
the information sought, we think that no harm would be caused if a copy of
the Valuation Report obtained by the Bank from the Government approved
Valuer is provided to the Appellant. We, therefore, direct the CPIO to
provide to the Appellant within 10 working days from the receipt of this
order a certified copy of the valuation report obtained in this case.
4. With the above direction, the appeal is disposed off.
5. Copies of this order be given free of cost to the parties.
(Satyananda Mishra)
Information Commissioner
Authenticated true copy. Additional copies of orders shall be supplied
against application and payment of the charges prescribed under the Act to the
CPIO of this Commission.
(Vijay Bhalla)
Assistant Registrar
CIC/PB/A/2008/01154-SM