Are the PIO’s expected to compile information and answer to hypothetical questions?
(Last edited: Friday, 20 January 2023, 12:37 PM)
Answer:
An Office
Memorandum has been issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT),
the Central Nodal Agency to oversee implementation of the RTI Act regarding
collecting and compiling information by the PIO. As per Sec 7(a), information shall normally
be given in the form in which it is sought by the requestor. This does not mean that s/he has to compile,
re-shape or supply the conclusion from the material held by the Public
Authority. S/he is not required to do
research on behalf of the citizen to deduce anything from the material and then
supply to him/her. The PIO is not
expected to answer to non-existent information or hypothetical questions. In this regard it has been made clear that
only such information which exists and is held in the public domain need to be
disclosed.