Supreme Court Ruling Against Judicial Transparency

In its recent decision, in the Chief Information Commissioner v. High Court of Gujarat case, the Supreme Court,barred citizens from securing access to court records under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Supreme Court’s Verdict

• The verdict hinged on Section 22 of the RTI Act which states that the RTI Act shall override any other law like Official Secrets Act 1923 etc to the extent that the latter is inconsistent with the former.
• It held that court records can be accessed only through the rules laid down by each High Court under Article 225 of the Constitution.
• The decision does not preclude ....