After the appointment of the Chief Information Commissioner, former IAS officer Heeralal Samariya, Congress MP and member of the selection committee for appointment of the CIC, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, has written to President Droupadi Murmu, alleging that he was "kept in the dark" in the selection process and that all democratic norms, customs and procedures were "thrown to the wind".
Justice Subramonium Prasad said that as per Section 20 of RTI Act, penalty would depend on the malice and the degree of inaction on the part of the PIO.
The Public Information Officer of the High Court reasoned that the disclosure of this information was not in the larger public interest and could endanger the life or physical safety of judges and officials of the Court.