Banking body comes under RTI, says CIC

The Indian Institute of Banking and Finance (IIBF) is an organisation covered under the RTI Act and must comply with its provisions, the Central Information Commission (CIC) has held.

The Commission has held that although the institute is a non-governmental organisation, it receives substantial funding from public sector banks which are covered under the RTI Act, thus bringing it under the ambit of the transparency law.

The CIC made the ruling while hearing an RTI application filed by Mukul Srivastava seeking information in respect of the JAIIB Examination held on November 18, 2007, including the complete marks obtained by candidates for both tests of the examination with their respective answer sheets.

The 80-year-old institute refused to give any information, saying it was not covered under the RTI Act prompting Srivastava to file a complaint with the Commission.

"This Institute, a Non Governmental Organisation being substantially financed by the Public Sector Banks directly and indirectly, is nothing but a Public Authority. We, therefore, hold that this Institute is a Public Authority and the provisions of the Right to Information (RTI) Act shall apply to it," Information Commissioner Satyananda Mishra said.

Mishra said the institute not only fulfils the condition of substantial financing but also performs public service covering a vast section of population bringing it under RTI Act.

He also directed the institute to comply with the provisions within 30 days of receiving the decision.