New Delhi, February 24 The Central Information Commission (CIC) has directed the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to disclose numerical figures related to the import of arms and ammunition for sports purposes over the past five years, after ruling that the information was wrongly denied under the Right to Information Act.
The directive came after the DGFT rejected an RTI application seeking details of sports arms imports by bodies such as the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the Sports Authority of India (SAI), rifle clubs, state associations, and renowned shooters, citing exemption under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act.
Section 8(1)(d) deals with exemptions from disclosing information that includes commercial confidence, trade secrets, or intellectual property, unless the competent authority is satisfied that a greater public interest warrants the disclosure of such information.
In its order, Information Commissioner Khushwant Singh Sethi noted that the DGFT admitted during the hearing that it possessed the sought information but failed to justify how the exemption applied to numerical data.
"The Commission queried the respondent (foreign trade department) on how they claimed exemption U/s 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act when the appellant has sought the quantity of imported arms for sports purpose. To this, the respondent did not provide a satisfactory response," the order said.
The Commission referred to a 2012 notification, which mandates that recommending or certifying bodies maintain records of sports-related arms imports and observed that only numerical figures had been sought.
The CIC directed the DGFT to provide a revised, point-wise reply limited to numerical figures, while ensuring that information exempt under the RTI Act is not disclosed.