In a decision by the Central Information Commission, it was held that the information provided by a tax assessee to meet his legal/statutory obligations is a public activity and therefore, information provided to the Department for purposes of income tax assessment is information disclosed in relation to a public activity and not eligible for exemption under Sections 8(1) or 9 of RTI Act. The disclosure of the same to another person cannot be construed as being an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of an individual.
This decision will certainly have far reaching consequences especially because the Applicant was an informer of the Department. Now, an assessee will be under scrutiny not only by the Department but also by those who undertake fishing and rowing enquiry with not very honourable intentions.
What this entails, only time will tell!
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