Delhi HC discover to Centre on RTI applicant’s plea for information on Aarogya Setu

Describing questions raised by an RTI applicant concerning the federal government’s Aarogya Setu app as these of “considerable national importance”, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued a discover to the federal government on a petition difficult a 2020 Central Information Commission (CIC) order during which the statutory physique had noticed that ample info concerning the app was already in public area
“You cannot simply say it is in public domain…that may not be fair,” noticed Justice Prathiba M Singh, including that “there are various issues which have been raised in the present petition in respect of Aarogya Setu app which are of considerable public importance”.
While adjourning the matter for listening to to February 24, the court docket mentioned the CIC has handed the order with out affording a listening to to the petitioner. The court docket additionally ordered the petitioner and the Centre to position on document the knowledge sought and acquired and that but to be furnished.
In August 2020, RTI activist Saurav Das had filed an RTI software in search of to know particulars associated to the challenge such because the origin of the proposal, approval particulars; firms, folks, authorities departments concerned; file notings associated to the appliance, copies of communications concerned in making or growing the appliance, amongst others.

Das had raised issues the app’s use of knowledge and its impact on the folks’s proper to privateness. On Tuesday, the petitioner knowledgeable that court docket that every authority he had approached continued to evade questions, after which he approached the CIC.
Advocate Rahul Sharma, who represented the CPIOs, informed the court docket that substantial info exists in public area and data operating into greater than 80 pages has already been given to the applicant.