Judicial record disclosure under RTI is barred where court rules protect pending proceedings and judicial functioning.

Information forming part of a court's judicial record, including a satisfaction folder in a pending proceeding, was treated as outside the ordinary RTI route where applicable court rules exempt disclosure. The court's judicial function was distinguished from its administrative function, and the governing district court RTI rules barred access when disclosure would intrude into judicial work, overreach a judicial decision, or relate to judicial proceedings and incidental matters. On that basis, the RTI authority could not compel disclosure contrary to the trial court's earlier refusal and the applicable rules, and the request for the judicial record was not maintainable.

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Issues: Whether copies of documents forming part of a pending court record, specifically the satisfaction folder relating to a judicial proceeding, could be sought under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Analysis: The request concerned a document that formed part of a pending judicial proceeding and had already been considered by the trial court, which had declined to furnish a copy. The legal position applied was that the judicial function of a court is distinct from its administrative function, and information relating to judicial proceedings or judicial functions is not amenable to the ordinary RTI route where the governing court rules provide an exemption. The relevant district court RTI rules specifically excluded disclosure where the information amounts to intrusion in judicial work, overreaching a judicial decision, or relates to judicial proceedings or incidental matters. On that basis, the RTI authority could not direct disclosure contrary to the judicial order and the applicable court rules.

Conclusion: The request for disclosure under the RTI Act was not maintainable in respect of the judicial record, and the direction to furnish the satisfaction folder could not stand.

Ratio Decidendi: Information forming part of a court's judicial record, when governed by specific court rules exempting disclosure, cannot be compelled through the RTI Act if disclosure would intrude upon judicial functioning or overreach a judicial determination.

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