Can I get the copies of my own letter from CPIO?

[crusader]

Can I get the copies of the letter I had submitted to the Municipal authorities, as I had lost the information and want to know what all communications I had made to the autorities?

[prema]

Yes, I think you can get the information, as it is a public document once you had submitted.

[kushal]

No! According to CIC.

The purpose of the RTI Act is to allow access to a citizen to information held by a public authority. The key element is provision of information. Insofar as an information is held by a citizen himself, it must be construed that he already had access to such information and his seeking the same from a public authority is a wholly infructuous exercise. In such cases, it should suffice if the public authority intimates to the appellant whether or not his/her letters/petitions had been received by that public authority and the dates thereof. If he wants to have copies of his own letters written to the public authority, he better looks up his own records. In all such cases, the key information to be transmitted to an information-seeker, when such information pertains to the copies of letters he himself might have written to public authority, is that the public authority was or was not in possession of those letters/petitions. The public authority has no obligation beyond supplying the above-mentioned information to the information-seeker.


Kindly read the judgment about this issue.

[crusader]

Thank You Kushal for the great and prompt information.

[brijeshbhatt]

Thanks Kushal for your educative reply!

[maneesh]

Good Job Kushal

[snkmoorthy]

a copy of your own letter is not 'information' and hence it cannot be supplied by a PIO. however he can acknowledge the receipt of your letter.

[wagh7]

SIRS,

If some letters submitted to any department is a public information, then the same letters not accessable to the person who submitted these letters/documents?

Because, suppose assume a situation that the person submitted the documents to any department and kept a copy of it with him. Due to any reason if he lost the documents which he kept with him . Under the circumstances he can take the documents from that department by asking under RTI, I think in the application it self he should mention the facts about the reason for his asking?

I put my views on the topic.

Respected experts and friends, kindly guid me also in this regard.

rakatkam.

[maneesh]

Dear Rakatkam
RTI does not require reason for information. Further, if the applicant cannot keep the information safe Govt cannot be used as storage and retrieving place. The objecting of RTI is to promote transparency and efficiency and preserve limited fiscal resource.
The judgment which Kushal has given and notes by snmoorhty clarifies the point.

[sunaabhsarkar]

Originally Posted by maneesh

Dear Rakatkam
RTI does not require reason for information. Further, if the applicant cannot keep the information safe Govt cannot be used as storage and retrieving place. The objecting of RTI is to promote transparency and efficiency and preserve limited fiscal resource.
The judgment which Kushal has given and notes by snmoorhty clarifies the point.

Hello every body,

In the above circumstance, I guess the person who wants copies or contents of documents he has submitted with the PA, he may do so by requesting a family member or a friend to file an RTI application seeking information on the subject [he may or may not be able to get the contents of the letter, but he would be able to know, if such and such person has submitted such and such document and what is the contents of such an such document etc ect.... I'm not sure how ethical or fruitful the move would be, but surely worth a try in an environment where ethics has taken a back seat.

Sunaabh

[colnrkurup]

If getting copy of your own letter is so vital there is a way out. Let a third person ask for copy of your letter from the same PIO. I don't think that the PIO can refuce it especially you are in possession of documentary proof of delivering your application to that PIO. In case the PIO drag in the third party clause, you may say that you have no objection. I think it should work.

[karira]

Originally Posted by colnrkurup

If getting copy of your own letter is so vital there is a way out. Let a third person ask for copy of your letter from the same PIO. I don't think that the PIO can refuce it especially you are in possession of documentary proof of delivering your application to that PIO. In case the PIO drag in the third party clause, you may say that you have no objection. I think it should work.

If someone wants to do it this way, then attach the letter of "no objection" from the third party to the initial application itself. That will speed up matters.

[abhijeet]

On the other hand, I think any reply received by one applicant from PIO, may be used by some dfferent applicants and it may be continued also. As once one applicant quoted some points from other applicant's information , obtained from PIO was used for further query; and the same PIO replied of the subsequent queries of second applicant.

[vijendra singh]

All sirs, i think applicant can demand any info [including letter written by him] . the PIO can't deny any info under his control. If letter was lost/ torn/ burnt by somebody in applicant's house ,who will be criminal then? RTI Act never says that info in applicant' handwriting will be denied under sec.8or 9. hence why PIO can refuse any info even if that was written by the applicant. My PIO supplied me letters written by me while I wanted ' action taken notes/letters' .Pl note that info means info[writer is irrelevant ]

[maneesh]

Dear Vijendra,
The judgment is to be applied on case to case basis. Many PIO may be providing the letter.
The preamble of RTI list improve efficiency as one of the goal. You can imagine the man power used to retrieve a letter and then send in RTI reply. Most of the Govt (Center & State) are far away from Computerisation of all records. Though, it should be done as per RTI.

[jps50]

The best way is to ask for what ever U want from PIO. Let PIO refuse it. What is the harm in asking? If U donot ask U do not get, but if U ask U MAY get. I have always raised all the relevant questions without caring for whether it is covered under RTI or not or decision of CIC/Courts etc. PIOs do give information as they are also not well informed of the nity-gity of the act and decisions. It is only if and when the info is denied, we should search and quote CIC decisions/Court judgements in appeal to get the info.