Shri Suhas Chakma vs Ministry Of External Affairs on 1 December, 2009
9. On being asked by the Commission the reasons for not furnishing the information against this point,
the Counsel brought new facts to the attention of the Commission in support of his denial of information to the
Appellant, facts which both parties were not aware of during the first hearing when he cited the Delhi High
Court judgment in the case of Mr. Suhas Chakma vs Ministry of External Affairs, involving disclosure of
information related to passports and documents submitted along with the passport application. According to
the judgment, "information which involves the rights of privacy of a third party in terms of Section 8(1)(j) of the
RTI Act cannot be ordered to be disclosed without notice to such third party. The authority cannot simply come
to the conclusion , that too on a concession or on the agreement of parties before it, that public interest
overrides the privacy rights of such third party without notice to and hearing such third party."