(1)Any information obtained by the Lokayukta or Upa-Lokayukta or any member of their staff in the course of, or for the purposes of, any preliminary verification made under this Act. and any evidence recorded or collected in connection with such information, shall, subject to the provisions of Clause (a) of sub-section (2) of Section 10, be treated as confidential; and notwithstanding anything in the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, (Central Act 1 of 1872) no Court shall be entitled to compel the Lokayukta or Upa-Lokayukta or any public servant to give evidence relating to such information or produce the evidence so recorded or collected.(2)Nothing in sub-section (1) shall apply to the disclosure of any information or particulars,-(a)for purposes of the investigation or in any report to be made thereon or for any action or proceedings to be taken on such report; or(b)for purposes of any proceedings for an offence under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 (Central Act 19 of 1923) or an offence of giving or fabricating false evidence under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (Central Act 45 of 1860) or for purposes of any trial of an offence under Section 13 or any proceedings under Section 16, of this Act; or(c)for such other purposes as may be prescribed.(3)An officer or other authority prescribed in this behalf may give notice in writing to the Lokayukta or Upa-Lokayukta, as the case may be, with respect to any document or information specified in the notice or any class of documents so specified, that in the opinion of the Government the disclosure of the documents or class of documents or information would be prejudicial to public interest; and where such a notice is given the Lokayukta or Upa-Lokayukta may, for reasons to be recorded, decide as to whether the disclosure of such document/or class of documents or information involves public interest. In case the disclosure of any document or information so specified is held to involve public interest, the Lokayukta, the Upa-Lokayukta or any member of their staff shall not communicate to any person any such document or information.
