CHENNAI: Caste certificates, details of marks obtained and the basis for selection of candidates pertaining to the recruitment of drivers by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in May 2023 must be provided under the Right To Information (RTI) Act, the Central Information Commission (CIC) ruled on Tuesday.
Such information could not be denied under section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, which deals with exempting disclosure of personal information, the CIC said while hearing an appeal filed by Murugesh V from Tamil Nadu.
In the order, the CIC said that denying caste certificates of selected candidates under RTI is not sustainable when the recruitment has been done under the reserved category.
“The very purpose of reservation-based selection mandates verification and disclosure of caste-based eligibility, which in this context, becomes a matter of public record. However, sensitive personal data such as addresses or signatures may be redacted,” the CIC said, directing NGT to provide the information to the appellant within three weeks.
In June 2023, Murugesh had filed an RTI seeking information from the NGT regarding candidates selected and particulars relating to it.
The Public Information Officer (PIO) of the NGT had denied information for questions pertaining to caste certificates of selected candidates, mark details and those selected on the basis of preferences and work experience.
Aggrieved over this, Murugesh had filed a first appeal and later approached the commission with a second appeal.
Referring to the Bombay High Court judgment in the Shri Onkar Dattatray Kalmankar Vs. PIO, Registrar, District and Session Court, Pune and Ors, the CIC ruled in Murugesh’s favour.
“Information relating to the marks obtained by selected candidates and the criteria of selection in a public recruitment process pertains to a public activity and serves public interest. Disclosure of such information enhances transparency and public trust in the recruitment process. The disclosure of information would also dispel the lingering doubts about wrongdoings in the public recruitment process,” the CIC said.
The disclosure is necessary to ensure that ineligible candidates are not selected in place of eligible ones, the CIC added.