New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Friday asked an RTI applicant to approach the central information commissioner with his application which raised the issue whether 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' was a 'public authority' for the purpose of Right to Information Act.

Applicant Neeraj Sharma, who sought details of central public information officers and First Appellate Authority for the trust, was aggrieved by an order passed by the central information commissioner (CIC) as well as the Centre's stand that being a body which was "neither owned, controlled nor financed by Government of India", 'Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra' was an independent and autonomous organisation outside the definition of "public authority".

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Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the CIC, on July 08, 2022, disposed of his appeal following non-disclosure, while asking the Centre to provide a revised point wise response to him according to the RTI Act.

Subsequently, when the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) claimed that the trust was autonomous in nature, the petitioner filed another appeal in the CIC which refused to register the same.

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"Why don't you approach for judicial review by the CIC itself," Justice Sanjeen Narula orally told the counsel for the petitioner.

The lawyer said the court may remand the matter to the CIC with a direction that they should decide the issue expeditiously.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for MHA, said he would not oppose if the issue was sent back to the Commission.

A copy of the court's order is awaited.

The petitioner, represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan, said in his plea that the trust was directed to be constituted by the Supreme Court and was notified by the central government. It should, therefore, come under the ambit of the definition of "public authority" under the RTI Act.

Under the law, the plea said, a public authority has to designate a Public Information Officer (PIO) within 180 days of its constitution, which has not been done for the Ram Janmbhoomi trust.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)