Insolvency board is not obligated to compile unformatted disciplinary committee records under RTI law

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI) has held in an RTI (Right to Information) appeal that statutory authorities carry no duty under the RTI Act to collate unavailable records concerning its Disciplinary Committees. The ruling clarifies the operational limits of transparency legislation regarding information that is not already maintained in a compiled format. Under the statutory framework of the Right to Information Act, public authorities are mandated to provide access to information that exists in material form or is held by the public authority.

The old practice involved general requests for information compilations, whereas the current position establishes that public bodies cannot be forced to gather, process, or synthesize disparate data points to manufacture a fresh record simply because an applicant requested it. This protects regulatory agencies from administrative overreach. Insolvency professionals and legal advisors filing information requests should frame their applications around specific, existing documents rather than asking authorities to compile data sets.

Track upcoming judicial interpretations regarding RTI boundaries in regulatory bodies to avoid filing infructuous appeals. Ultimately, knowing the exact limits of document availability saves compliance time and directs legal energy toward accessible records.