Copy Of Passport Can't Be Given To Third Party Under RTI Act: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court held that a copy of an individual’s passport cannot be supplied to a third party under the Right to Information Act, observing that passport details are exempt from mandatory disclosure in such circumstances. In adjudicating an RTI application seeking passport particulars, the Court examined the statutory framework, exemptions and privacy considerations, balancing the public interest in disclosure against protection of personal data. The decision underscores jurisprudential recognition of privacy expectations tied to travel documents and the limited ambit of RTI where disclosure would impinge on individual privacy or contravene established exemptions. The ruling provides guidance to public authorities on processing RTI requests involving personal records and signals that passport copies should not be routinely released to third parties without demonstrable public interest or legal justification.