The Central Information Commission (CIC) has upheld the denial of exporter-wise details of limestone sold to Bangladesh from Meghalaya.
The commission ruled that such information is exempt from disclosure under the Right to Information (RTI) Act as it involved commercial confidence.
Dismissing a second appeal filed by RTI applicant W Mathew Mawdkhap, Information Commissioner Vinod Kumar Tiwari said the details sought, including the names and addresses of exporters and the quantity of limestone exported constitute commercially sensitive information.
The Commission noted that exporter-specific trade data is ordinarily treated as confidential within commercial and regulatory frameworks.
Disclosure of such information, it said, could provide competitors with strategic insights into exporters’ business operations and potentially harm their competitive position.
The CIC further observed that regulatory authorities receive such information from private entities in a fiduciary capacity as part of statutory compliance.
It also held that no larger public interest had been demonstrated that would justify overriding the exemption under Section 8 of the RTI Act.
Mawdkhap’s initial RTI request and first appeal had both been rejected by the customs authorities, citing the same provisions of the Act.
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