K.E. RAVICHANDRAN Vs. STATE BANK OF INDIA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) THE appellant, Shri K.E. Ravichandran, submitted RTI application dated October 15, 2013 before the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO), State Bank of India, Ballarpur; seeking information regarding loan and advances sanctioned to M/s Deepali Trading Corporation and Deepali Roadlines Pvt. Ltd. by SBI, Ballarpur for the period between 1.1.1998 to 31.7.1999 etc. asking for 264 documents.

(2.) VIDE reply dated November 9, 2013 CPIO denied the information on the ground that the documents sought and records were not public documents and those were held by Bank in fiduciary capacity and also informed that some of the documents like register, vouchers, receipts etc. were destroyed under Bank's record retention policy and finally denied the information u/s 8(1)(e) and (h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Not satisfied with the CPIO's reply, the appellant preferred an appeal dated November 22, 2013 to the first appellate authority (FAA) alleging that the CPIO had wrongly denied the information as the Bank had already filed the recovery suit against the borrowers and therefore refusal to provide the information was not justifiable. Vide order dated December 11, 2014 FAA directed the CPIO to furnish a revised reply to the appellant mentioning if 264 documents as to whether these were available with him or not within 30 days; thereafter, he also allowed inspection of records to the appellant.

(3.) DISSATISFIED with the response of the public authority, the appellant preferred second appeal before the Commission.