The Delhi High Court overturned a Central Information Commission (CIC) order that directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to disclose information about tax exemptions given to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, responsible for the construction and management of Ayodhya’s Ram temple. The request for information was made under the Right To Information (RTI) Act by Kailash Chandra Moondra.
Justice Subramonium Prasad stated that the applicant could seek the information from the appropriate authority under the Income Tax Act. The High Court accepted the CBDT’s petition challenging the CIC’s directive and quashed the order, stating that information about an assessee cannot be provided under the RTI Act in accordance with section 138(1)(b) of the Income Tax Act.