The Central Information Commission (CIC), while deciding an appeal has observed that the Information cannot be denied under RTI Act for not annexing proof of citizenship along with the RTI Application.
However in rarest of rare cases the authority can ask for furnishing the proof of citizenship, to clear the doubt.
The Public Information Officer, Military Engineer Service rejected the RTI application of one R K Malik on the ground of not furnishing proof of citizenship alongwith the application.
Vanaja N. Sarna, Information Commissioner, CIC allowed the appeal of RK Malik, observing that such denial of information is against the spirit of Right to Information Act.
Section 3 of the RTI Act nowhere requires a citizen to prove his citizenship before asking for information under the Act. As such the commission warned the concerned PIO that if this repeats in future then punishment will be imposed upon PIO. It has been further directed to provide the required information within 15 days.
