Supreme Court: Madhya Pradesh's Special Police Establishment is not exempt from the RTI Act; 2011 exemption notification struck down
The question: Is the Madhya Pradesh Special Police Establishment an 'intelligence and security organisation' that can be exempted under Section 24(4) of the RTI Act?
A Town Inspector who was caught in a trap case by the Special Police Establishment (SPE) asked under the RTI Act for information on how sanction to prosecute him was granted. The request was refused on the basis of a 2011 State notification exempting the SPE from the RTI Act as an 'intelligence and security' organisation. The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's order and struck the notification down.