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Judgment
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Amitendra Kishore Prasad
Since the issues involved in all these petitions are similar, they are being decided by this common order.
W.P.(C) No. 5037/2026 is taken up as the lead case. The reliefs sought in the present petitions are similar and identical to those claimed in the lead case. The said reliefs are quoted hereinbelow:-
“ I. Issue a writ, order, direction in the nature Mandamus/Prohibition directing the Respondent authorities, specifically the District Education Officer and the Principal, Govt. High School Panchgaon, not to disclose or supply the Petitioner's service book, educational marksheets, caste certificate, appointment order, and related personal documents to the Private Respondent or any other applicant under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
II. Issue an omnibus ex-parte ad-interim injunction in the nature of a 'John Doe' (Ashok Kumar) order, restraining any known or unknown persons, including news editors and journalists, from seeking, procuring, or publishing the personal service records and educational documents of the Petitioner.
III. Pass any other writ, order, or direction which this Hon'ble Court may deem fit and proper in the facts and circumstances of the case, in the interest of justice.”
Learned counsel for the petitioners submits that personal information and documents pertaining to the petitioners are being disclosed by the concerned District Education Officer and the First Appellate Authority to the information seeker under the Right to Information Act, 2005. It is contended that such information relates to the personal records of the petitioners and is exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the Act of 2005. Accordingly, the petitioners have approached this Court seeking appropriate relief and a direction to the respondent authorities not to disclose or furnish their personal information and documents to the information seeker in violation of the aforesaid statutory provision.
At this stage, learned State counsel submits that the concerned Principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Kormi, has already issued a letter dated 29.09.2026, stating that the personal information pertaining to the third party cannot be furnished to the complainant or information seeker. It is, therefore, submitted that, as the concerned authority has already declined to disclose the personal information of the petitioners, no further relief is required to be granted in the present petitions at this stage.
I have heard learned counsel for the parties and perused the record.
Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the submissions made by learned counsel for the parties, the petitions are disposed of with a direction to the concerned authorities not to disclose the personal information pertaining to the petitioners, as claimed to be exempt from disclosure under Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, in accordance with law.
However, in the event any cause of action arises in future, the petitioners shall be at liberty to avail themselves of the appropriate remedy available to them in accordance with law.
At this stage, no notice is required to be issued to the information seekers.
With the aforesaid directions, the petitions stand disposed of.