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Rajeev Kumar v. Central Information Commission (CIC) & Ors
10 December 2024, Delhi High Court

Rajeev Kumar filed an RTI request seeking access to a PhD thesis from Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU). The university denied the request under Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act, claiming that the thesis contained commercially sensitive and intellectual property-protected information. The Central Information Commission (CIC) upheld this denial, prompting Kumar’s legal challenge.

The Court’s ruling:

  • As per UGC and JMIU regulations, all doctoral theses must be published on INFLIBNET for academic transparency.
  • The court ruled that a thesis is an academic document, not commercial intellectual property, and should not be withheld from public access.
  • Section 8(1)(d) of the RTI Act would be inapplicable as JMIU failed to prove that disclosure would harm any commercial or competitive interest, making the exemption unjustified.