Synopsis

The petitioner sought asset and liability statements of a public servant (a deputy controller in KSRTC) for the period 1997-2005 under the RTI Act, alleging that the public servant had fraudulently obtained a sale deed of the petitioner's property. The Public Information Officer rejected the application citing Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005 (personal information, no public interest). The Karnataka Information Commission upheld the rejection. The High Court dismissed the writ petition, holding that: (i) asset and liability statements of a public servant constitute personal information protected under Section 8(1)(j); (ii) the mere fact that a person is a public servant does not render all his personal information publicly disclosable; (iii) allegations of fraud in a private property transaction do not by themselves create a larger public interest overriding privacy; (iv) the RTI Act cannot be used as a tool to gather evidence for private civil disputes.

1. Heading of the judgment

High court of karnataka at bengaluru

Writ petition no. 21831 of 2025 (gm-res)

Smt. s. savithramma (petitioner) vs. The karnataka information commission & ors. (respondents)

Coram: hon'ble mr. justice suraj govindaraj

Case Analysis: Smt. S. Savithramma vs The Karnataka Information Commission & Ors

Core Law: Right to Information Act, 2005 – Section 8(1)(j) – Exemption for personal information – Privacy rights of public servants.

Court: High Court of Karnataka at Bengaluru
Coram: Hon'ble Mr. Justice Suraj Govindaraj (Single Judge)
Date of Judgment: June 1, 2026
Case No.: Writ Petition No. 21831 of 2025 (GM-RES)
Citation: 2026:KHC:25434

2. Legal framework

Major laws and provisions involved:

• Right to Information Act, 2005 – Section 8(1)(j) (exemption from disclosure of personal information)

• Constitution of India – Articles 226 and 227 (writ jurisdiction)

• Right to privacy – recognised as a constitutionally protected right

Subject matter of the judgment:

Whether asset and liability statements of a public servant, filed with the employer in compliance with service rules, can be disclosed under the RTI Act to a third party who alleges fraud in a private property transaction, and whether such disclosure is exempted under Section 8(1)(j) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Key legal principles applied:

• Personal information under Section 8(1)(j): Information relating to personal assets, liabilities, financial affairs, income particulars, and similar details of an individual (including a public servant) falls w

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