CIC Backs Refusal to Release Russia Oil Import Breakup Under RTI

Overview

• The Central Information Commission upheld a denial of an RTI plea that sought company- and country-wise figures on India’s crude imports from Russia for June 2022 to June 2025.
• The Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell’s CPIO had rejected the request under Sections 8(1)(d) and 8(1)(e) of the RTI Act, calling the data commercial and confidential.
• The Commission said disclosure could harm India’s strategic and economic interests and strain relations with foreign states, and it cited Section 8(1)(a) to support non-disclosure.
• The CIC issued a show-cause notice to a PPAC official who skipped the hearing and asked why a penalty under Section 20(1) should not follow.
• The Commission directed PPAC to fix its RTI webpage and publish mandated basics under Section 4, while noting that aggregate oil import totals and values are already available on the PPAC site.