Income-tax returns constitute personal information protected...

Income-tax returns constitute personal information protected from disclosure under the RTI Act unless a larger public interest justifies disclosure. That exception is confined to transparency concerning public authorities and does not cover private financial information lacking a bearing on the public at large. A spouse seeking the other spouse's net taxable income for maintenance proceedings cannot rely on the larger-public-interest exception, because the maintenance forum may require both parties to file income, asset and liability disclosure affidavits. The direction to disclose the taxpayer's income details was therefore set aside, without limiting remedies available before the maintenance forum.