D. Sarathchandra vs People’s Bank – CA RTI/09/2023-2024

In the case between People’s Bank (Head Office) and the Right to Information Commission (with D. Sarathchandra), the court addressed the issue of whether information requests relating to expenditures and third-party names tied to 2022 Poson events constituted “personal information” under the Right to Information (RTI) Act or, instead, required public disclosure in the interest of accountability. The court held that such information, being linked to public funds, does not qualify as exempt “personal information” and is subject to disclosure, reaffirming the principle that transparency prevails when disbursement of public resources is at stake. The decision relied on statutory interpretation of the RTI Act No. 12 of 2016, emphasizing that privacy rights do not override the imperative for ope