Table of Contents
§3 — right available to 'citizens', not 'persons'
Quick Reply: §3 limits the right to 'citizens'; companies, associations, and foreign nationals lack direct standing. §3 'right to information' is to citizens only; companies.
Supreme Court of India · 2012-01-01 · Citation awaited
§3 'right to information' is to citizens only; companies / non-citizens lack direct §3 standing.
Case details
| Court | Supreme Court of India |
|---|---|
| Decided | 2012-01-01 |
| Citation | Citation awaited |
| Petitioner | Foreign national / Non-citizen applicant |
| Respondent | PIO |
| RTI Act sections | §3, §6 |
| Outcome | Rejected |
Outcome
§3 limits the right to 'citizens'; companies, associations, and foreign nationals lack direct standing.
Ratio decidendi
§3 confers the right to information on 'citizens' — interpreted to exclude companies, foreign nationals, and associations as such. An application by a natural-person citizen (including on behalf of an organisation) is the correct route.
Keywords
§3, citizens, standing, companies, foreign nationals
Similar cases in the corpus
- ADR v. Union of India (Electoral Bonds) (SC 2024)
- K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India (SC 2017)
- State of U.P. v. Raj Narain (SC 1975)
Related
Editorial summary, not a certified report. The ratio here is an editorial compression. Before citing this ruling in a PIO order, FAA speaking order, or any appellate filing, verify against the full reported decision. RTI Wiki is not a legal service.
Editorial summary · last reviewed 21 April 2026.