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Sachin Kumar Daksh vs. Director-Admin and Finance & Anr.

Writ Petition (Civil) · 2026:DHC:8940Decided 7 Oct 2026New Delhi Bench
W.P.(C) 9118/2025CNR: DLHC010400992025
Justice Amit Mahajan

Background

The petitioner had filed an RTI application seeking a DGCA employee's personal details (such as leave travel concession and medical reimbursement records), which was refused and upheld in appeal by the Central Information Commission. It emerged that the petitioner was the estranged brother-in-law of that employee, with a matrimonial/divorce dispute pending between the petitioner and the employee's sister.

Decision Breakdown

The Court held that such personal service/family information of a third party is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act unless a genuine larger public interest is shown: merely alleging the information involves public funds, or that it would help pursue a "vigilance complaint," is not enough. Finding the application was really aimed at settling a personal/matrimonial score, the Court dismissed the writ petition.

Lesson Learnt

RTI cannot be used as a backdoor way to dig into someone else's private records to settle a personal dispute: personal information about third parties stays protected unless a genuine wider public interest is shown.

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